StarCrossed Lovers
by Amelie de Lorraine
Summary: This is a classic Serena/Darien story that takes place during the Silver Millennium, starting with before Serena's birth; and yes, I am using their English names because I am an American. Please read and review.
1. God's Will

**Author's Note: **This is my first Sailor Moon story ever! I hope I do as well on this as I am with my Harry Potter stories. Please remember to review and be specific. Thanks.

Star-Crossed Lovers-Chapter One

It was one of the most beautiful winter days that the planet of Venus had ever experienced. It seemed the entire planet was enveloped in lovely white snow, more snow that it had ever had before.

Five-year-old Princess Mina, the planet's little joy, loved the snow more than anyone else. After today's lessons with her eighteen-year-old governess Sophia, Mina gladly ran from her study room and attacked the snow. She made a family of snow people: a mother, a father, and a daughter; and had even tried to make a snowball as big as the palace she lived in.

"I want it to be big so that it'll stay forever and ever!" Mina told Sophia as the little girl, her blonde hair covered in snowflakes, tried to pick up as much snow off the ground as she could.

The young brunette chuckled, her hands kept firmly inside her coat pockets. Snow never had agreed with them. She didn't understand how the little princess could have her own hands, so tiny and frail as they were, touch the snow so much without having them fall off, or at least having them get a very bad case of frostbite.

"I think that if you made it that big," Sophia joked, shaking white flakes out of her long hair with a quaver of her head. She imagined she looked like a dog doing so, but she did not want to remove her hands from her pockets. "The whole planet would get flooded with water."

She was trying to keep a happy persona in front of the little girl, but in truth, this was the worst day of her life. Snow was just not her thing. When she had been younger, she had had the habit of hiding in doors all day until the snow had finally melted.

"Like with Noah?" Mina asked, her blue eyes looking excitedly up at her governess, as if the child actually _wanted _there to be a flood.

_Or maybe she just likes the idea of riding in an ark, _Sophia thought, letting out another chuckle. She could picture Mina standing on the very top of the ark, giving orders to the whole world, telling them to save every last one of the animals. All of them were so dear to her. If she could, Mina would have dived into the ocean to save a dying dolphin.

"Yes, like with Noah," Sophia smiled. She had been teaching Mina how to read and write using stories from the Bible at the King and Queen's request.

A cool wave of air suddenly made Sophia tremble. "I think it's almost time to go inside," she told the little girl. She did not see how Mina could simply continue to play in this weather without one shudder of her shoulders, without one chatter of her little teeth.

"Your parents probably would like to hear about your day," she said, and it was the truth, not just an excuse to go inside. Well, maybe it was _mostly _an excuse, but Mina's parents were always eager to hear of what their daughter had done and learned each day. Besides, Sophia could see the child's hands growing rather red, as were her cheeks and nose. Anymore time out here today, and she probably _would _have become frostbitten.

Mina frowned, obviously considering whether or not to give Sophia a retort. But, after about a minute, she must have decided against it, because she dropped the snow from her hands and grabbed hold of Sophia's arm, leading the woman inside. Sophia winced as the freezing wetness from the snow that had been in Mina's tiny hands soaked through her black frock.

Mina skipped in delight over to the large, hand carved wooden doors of the Venusian palace. It had seven marble towers, each holding seven elegant rooms. Sophia resided in the tower to the North, where she had never been more comfortable in her entire life. Growing up, she had lived in the village six miles east of the palace in a little cottage with her parents and three younger brothers, all of whom still lived there.

She opened the large doors and allowed Mina to step inside. The blissful feeling of warmth seemed to encircle Sophia's body as she crossed the threshold. She smiled in delight.

"Daddy! Mommy!" little Mina called, her voice echoing off the walls of the large foyer, into the dining room and up the stairs.

But, it was not a vain calling. In a matter of seconds, King Joshua came walking gracefully down the stairs. He was a handsome middle-aged man with an athletic build, reddish-brown that was cut shoulder-length like that of his daughter, and a goatee and small moustache.

"Mina!" He responded to his daughter happily, holding his arms out as he reached the bottom of the long staircase so that the little girl could jump into them, as was her custom.

She did so, planting a loud kiss on father's high cheekbone. She waited no time to rant.

"Guess what I did today, Daddy? I built a family of snowmen! One is you, one is Mommy, and the little girl is me!" She smiled happily.

Apparently, Mina's smile was contagious, because Sophia began smiling, too. She just adored Mina's cute voice and how she chattered about each and everything she saw.

"That's wonderful." Her father's face looked just as delighted as Sophia's. He picked his daughter up as easily as if she were a feather and held her close. "Did you learn anything new today?"

It was a question any father who was paying for his child to learn would ask.

"Yes," the little girl said, holding onto her father's neck, "I read about Jesus and the Wise Men because Sophia said today was the day they came to see Him and gave Him His birthday presents."

It probably wasn't the exact day, but the sixth of January, as far as Sophia knew, had always been known as the Epiphany, the last official day of the Christmas season and celebrated to many as the day on which the Wise Men brought gifts to their Savior.

Before the King could respond, Mina had already started her rant again. "And I painted this picture of us and I spelled my name! Where's Mommy?" She asked the last part suddenly, just realizing that her mother was nowhere to be seen.

Joshua sighed. "She went to the Moon. To Earth's Moon," he said quietly, his eyes flickering over to where Sophia stood. "She had to…take care of something…."

A feeling of guilt as strong as a lightening bolt shock ran through Sophia's body as she remembered. She had forgotten to say her prayers for the Moon family, to ask God to aid them in their difficult time; and the Moon family, of course, included Queen Marianna and King Joshua, as well as Mina.

"Can we go to the Moon, too, Daddy?" Mina asked, not noticing the sad look in her father's eyes at all.

"I'll be going soon," he replied. "You won't though, you're too young."

Yes, Sophia and her parents would certainly be going to pay their respects, too. It was their duty to the most powerful family in the Solar System.

+*+*+

Marianna could hear the snow crunch underneath her feet as she stepped out of the carriage that had brought her from Venus to the Moon.

"Welcome to the Moon, Your Majesty," the driver announced politely as the Queen stepped out.

"Thank you, sir." Marianna hung her head low. She had no intention of smiling, nor did she look at the driver. Her long blonde hair was draped over her shoulders in no particular manner. She had not been in the mood to style it.

She walked, her cloak wrapped tightly about her as the wind blew. It was a soft blow, but a chill still ran over her. But, perhaps, the chill she felt did not come from the wind.

The Earth was brightly shining, the blue oceans standing out more than they ever had before, but Marianna did not notice. She looked straight ahead of her as she walked slowly toward the doors of the white Moon Palace, the grandest, most elegant palace in the Galaxy, her childhood home….

As her graceful hand reached the beautiful front doors, the tears came. Marianna could not believe this was happening. Her hands began to shake, her stomach cramped. Dizziness overwhelmed her. She didn't know if she would be able to stand on her feet much longer. She knocked clumsily, but quickly and loudly enough for the servant girl to answer.

Barbara was a tall, lanky girl of fourteen with green hair tied in a bun and bright green eyes. Her dress was black, so appropriate for the occasion.

"Hello, Your Majesty." She curtsied politely, a sad smile forming on her lips.

"H-hello, Barbara…." Marianna held her eyes tightly closed and took a deep breath, hoping that these techniques would pull her back together. When the Venusian Queen finally opened her eyes, feeling no better than she had before, Barbara had her hand stretched out to take Marianna's own.

"Come along, Madam. I'll help you."

Marianna took the offered hand, and was soon walking arm-in-arm with Barbara for support. The gracious teenager led Venus's Queen down the long hallway toward the main staircase. The hall was full of marble statues, paintings, and ornaments, much of which had been put into place by Marianna's own parents. Gently, Marianna grabbed the long handrail as she walked slowly up the stairs. This was the worst day of her life. It was even worse than the day her parents had died.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Barbara put her arm around Marianna's waist, having noticed that the Queen was growing even more faint. She took the liberty of resting her head on Barbara's shoulder as they walked. She could not believe this was happening. It had to be a dream….

Finally, they reached the Master bedroom, the bedroom of the King and Queen, the very same room that Marianna's parents had occupied for so many years. More servants were gathered outside, crying, holding hands in prayer, anticipating the worst. Upon seeing the Queen of Venus approaching, they moved respectfully out of the way so that she could enter the room.

Barbara knocked on the door for her. Marianna's heart began to race violently. She closed her tear filled eyes tightly again. She wanted to scream, to beat her fists, to plead her case with God, to beg Him not to do this.

The door opened slowly, revealing a short balding man with glasses who bowed before her. By the looks of him, he had to have been the doctor….

"You may come in, Your Highness."

Marianna let go of her support that was Barbara, who patted her shoulder lightly, and stepped into the room, sniffling and trying to wipe the tears from her cheeks. But, it was no use. They would return in a flash.

The room was warm with the fire going and candles lit. There was same red sofa, the same cherry wood armoire, and the same large bed covered in gold sheets and quilt that her parents had owned.

On the bed, covered in the gold blanket was the Moon King, the most powerful man in the Galaxy, Marianna's elder brother, Julius. He had the same beautiful blond hair, although much shorter, as his sister, and the same radiant blue eyes. His face was as pale as the snow outside, except for the purplish-blue circles under his eyes and the blood that was draining from them, his ears, his nose, and his gums. He was nothing but skin and bone.

Beside him on his left lay his wife, Serenity. She was lying atop the blankets, dressed in a warm white nightdress. Her long lavender hair was worn down, instead of in its usual two ponytails with buns on top. Tears were flowing from her lovely eyes, her face red and her eyes puffy, as she stroked her husband's hair with her right hand and wiped the blood from his orifices with her left. As she lay on her side, her fourth month of pregnancy was clearly evident.

Taking a deep breath, Marianna walked toward the bed slowly. She glanced at Serenity, who smiled at her weakly, as if to comfort her and tell her it was all right to come forward.

Marianna didn't know why she felt so scared. Was it the horrific way her brother now looked? Or was it the truth of knowing that she would soon lose him? Finally, she made it to the edge of the bed and sat down, taking Julius' poor thin hand in her own.

"Julius…" she spoke softly, not knowing if he would be able to hear her.

His eyes flickered open. The blood had stopped flowing, but it was still there, clogged in his eyes.

"Marianna…?" His voice was very hoarse and low. He could not speak above a whisper. "I'm glad you came…." A small smile crept across his face at the sight of her. His teeth were stained from blood.

Marianna bent down to kiss his forehead. It was burning with fever. She watched as his eyes followed her and then turned to Serenity.

"Will you two promise me something?" He asked, his breathing harsh and raspy. It was obvious that his lungs were torn.

"Yes, my Lord." Serenity sat up straight with much more energy than Marianna expected she had. Marianna nodded.

"You must… take care of each other—" he started coughing violently, blood spewing from his mouth and onto the bed. Serenity wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, cooling his forehead with her tears. Finally, the coughing stopped and he was able to lie still again. The doctor had tried to help, but he had nothing else to give him.

"We promise," Marianna replied, holding onto her brother's hand firmer, as though to hold onto him would somehow prevent him from dying.

"And I'll be the best mother you've ever seen! I can promise you that." Serenity continued to cry as she spoke.

"I'm sorry, Serenity." Julius looked to his wife and put a trembling hand to her face. "I'm sorry I won't be here…to raise our child."

He was the one to cry now. Bloody tears cascaded from his eyes and down his cheek, which his wife wiped away. "I-if it happens… to be a son, I want you to him Samuel, after my father…. But…if it's a girl, name her…Serenity, because I her to carry on your name when she rules…as you will."

Serenity nodded, her own tears falling from her face and staining her gown.

Julius breathed another hard breath. "I hate to leave you with so much…responsibility to take care of on your own …I'm so sorry for everything…But, this is all God's will."

Marianna nodded her head, although the comment was not directed at her. She knew it was God's will. Everything that ever happened was. There was nothing any of them could do to change it.

She stayed by Julius' side until he died the next day.

**End Note: **That's chapter one! I really hope y'all liked it. Please remember to review.

Merci,

Amélie


	2. A Funeral and A Birth

Star-Crossed Lovers-Chapter Two

There must have been over a million people there, standing on the sidewalks, behind the gates, and in the streets. There were even those who, being unable to find a place to stand, chose to watch from the windows. Almost everyone was holding a lit candle and all were wearing black.

The snow had ceased to fall hours before, leaving behind a fresh white blanket on the Moon Palace, its lawns, and just about every house and shop in the village. The trees looked like crystals with the coats of ice on them. By now, the clouds had cleared and the sun had set, bringing forth room for the stars and the brightness of Earth. All the Kings and Queens of all the planets in the Solar System had come to pay their homage to King Julius.

A quartet of white stallions pulled the cherry wood coffin in which he lay from the palace to the burial ground. The interior of the coffin was red velvet, red having been his favorite color. White lilies were neatly placed around him, lacing the coffin to perfection, and making him look as though he lay asleep in a field of them.

His body had been bathed in the finest perfumes and spices that the Galaxy had to offer. His lovely blond hair was combed, and the jeweled crown in which he had been coroneted adorned his beautiful head. Foundation powder had been delicately applied to his face and neck to bring back the tint of his naturally beige skin, instead of the sickly white that the disease had forced his skin to become. His cheekbones had been covered in a light blush to restore the radiance that they had once held. There was even gloss on his lips to conceal their pallor and rawness. His hands were folded across his lower abdomen, his nails buffed and shiny. He was clad in a cape and his blue General uniform, complete with all his medals and golden epaulets on his shoulders and black boots on his feet. However, his handcrafted sword was not present with him in the coffin, as he had specifically stated in his will that Serenity keep it.

Serenity herself walked directly behind the coffin, her head low. She wore a long black gown ornate with black pearls. Her hair was tied in her signature two ponytails with buns atop her head. A long black veil covered her face, hiding her tears from the onlookers.

Placing her gloved hand on her stomach, she thought of the child growing within her. How could she possibly raise it without the help of its father? The very thought was preposterous! People like her simply did not ask questions like this. This was a question for a beggar, a gypsy, a woman with no morals, stature, or values, she who wandered the streets aimlessly, who put herself into trouble deliberately and who would be expected to have no father for her child. This did _not_ happen to a respected Queen with a loving, prosperous husband.

She thought of all the other mothers and expectant mothers that she knew. All of them had husbands to aid them, while she had none. She was the only Queen in the Galaxy with no husband and it would remain that way for quite some time.

Finally, the carriage reached the royal burial ground. More tears welled up inside Serenity's eyes as she noticed the fresh grave that had been dug. He was really leaving her. It wasn't a dream….

She glanced back behind her, where the royals of each planet followed. Marianna was directly behind her, arm-in-arm with Joshua, tears flowing from her eyes and down onto her dress. The King and Queen of Mercury were behind them, followed by those of Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto respectfully.

The priest, a tall man with brown hair and beard, led the mourners in prayer, asking God to deliver Julius safely into Heaven, to rest his soul.

Finally, everyone was allowed to step forward to see the King personally, for the last time.

Serenity was the first. She came forward slowly, trying to be as careful as possible, for the ground was slick from ice, and as she was with child, the only one she would ever bare, she could not risk any injury.

Approaching the coffin, she bent forward carefully to kiss her husband's forehead. While it had been blistering hot with fever only days before, now it was as cold as the snow on the ground.

"I love you so much, Julius." She stared down at the handsome face she knew so well. "I-I shall never love again…I promise; and…I'll raise our child to be the best ruler the Moon Kingdom has ever known…I'll teach it to do wonderful things, just like you wanted. I'll be sure that it carries on your legacy, my love… I promise."

+*+*+

Five long, lonely months passed. Serenity watched as the seasons changed and life in the Solar System slowly returned to normal. All the while her belly continued to grow.

The pond and fountains at the front of the palace were running with crystal clear water, which birds from all over came to drink. The flower garden was in full bloom, and Serenity had managed to squeeze in some time despite her busy schedule to pick flowers for Julius' grave.

"It's almost time, Julius." She sat down beside the marble headstone, holding both hands over her stomach. She had taken a habit to talking to her husband's grave because it made her feel more comfortable, even though she knew he was gone. She was now in her ninth month and all the servants had been bustling about, preparing for the birth to occur any day. "Our baby's almost here."

Serenity let the sun warm her as she stared at the Earth in delight. It was almost time for her to be a mother. But, sadness still lingered. She was about to be a mother with no one to share a child with.

Later that day was when the pains started. She called several servants to come to her room and help her deliver the baby. The midwife came soon after to watch over her and permitted the servants to leave.

Thirty minutes after the pain had started, Marianna and the Queen of Earth, Bianca, who had given birth to two sons of her own, came in to help Serenity. She lay in the same bed in which her husband had died months before. The pain lasted four hours, and with each and every contraction, she thought the baby would come, but her predictions were never correct.

"It's painful," Bianca commented, holding onto Serenity's hand. It was amazing that Bianca could do so without a single complaint that Serenity was squeezing too hard. "But the outcome is wonderful. Trust me. It's worth it."

"I believe you." The Moon Queen managed to respond with a small chuckle, but the pain was still coursing through her. She would have had much more courage if Julius had been the one holding her hand.

"I can see the head, Your Majesty" the midwife, a large short woman with short red hair, said with glee. "Keep the pushes coming, Madam. You're doing wonderful."

Those were hard words for Serenity to follow. Every time she thought she was pushing harder, she ended up doing nothing at all. Finally, the pain was so unbearable that she closed her eyes tightly shut and screamed with all her might.

But her scream wasn't the only one she heard. Opening her eyes, Serenity saw the midwife lifting up something small and delicate.

"You have a princess, Your Majesty."

Serenity let out a deep breath and let her head fall backward onto the pillow. She had done it. She had survived labor. She had given birth. She had become a mother.

"You did it, Serenity!" Marianna, sitting on the bed to her right, crying, bent down and hugged her sister-in-law tightly.

"I knew you could!" Bianca shouted, giving Serenity a hug herself.

The midwife washed the baby clean and wrapped her in a soft purple blanket; and as she placed the child in Serenity's arms, the Queen could see that the little princess had her father's blond hair and blue eyes. The tears were unstoppable.

"She's beautiful, Serenity," Bianca said, giving her another one-armed hug.

"Yes, she is." Marianna smiled in agreement, still with tears in her eyes. "Mina's going to love her. She's been asking about the baby for months. Now, she finally has her to play with."

The two other Queens sat with Serenity a few minutes longer, cooing to the baby and telling her mother how lovely she was. After a while, Serenity began to feel tired and yawned. The midwife obviously took that as a subtle, polite way to ask everyone to leave because she asked,

"Would you appreciate it if we left you alone, Madam?"

"Yes, please." Serenity chuckled, but now without the pain. She was feeling very sleepy and worn by now, but she wanted to have more time with her child. "And thank you for your help."

"You're welcome, Serenity," Marianna replied, smiling.

"We'd be glad to leave you alone," said Bianca. "You and your baby need some privacy."

Once they had all left, Serenity stared back down at her tiny sleeping daughter. The child's small hand was now curled around her mother's right index finger. Serenity bent over and kissed it lightly.

"You look just like your father," Serenity said as she stroked the baby's hair and tiny nose.

The child even had a gold crescent moon birthmark in the middle of her forehead, the same one that her mother had received after her marriage, and the same that her father had been born with on his own head. Marianna's mark had disappeared after her marriage to Joshua and was replaced by the symbol of Venus.

"I'll be the best mother in the world, my darling little princess."

In the days following the princess' birth, she was christened and given the official of Serenity Julia Margaret Anna, after her mother, father, and two grandmothers; but, her mother and everyone else in the Moon Kingdom took to calling her by the name of Princess Serena.

**End Note: **Hi everybody! How was this chapter? Please tell me how you liked it.

À Bientôt,

Amélie


	3. The Sailor Scouts

Star-Crossed Lovers-Chapter Three

Twelve Years and Ten Months Later

"How do you like these pearls, Luna?" Princess Serena asked her mother's black cat advisor as she held up six pearls, trying to decide if these would be the ones to wear in her hair today.

Luna lay curled on the princess' bed atop a pink fleece pillow that matched the rest of Serena's large bedroom. The walls and bed covers were a pale fuchsia while the finely spun carpet was a shiny gold. Adorned on either side of the enormous French doors that led out onto the pearly white balcony were two large golden curtains.

"I think I like those the best, Your Majesty," the cat responded quietly.

However, Serena frowned, not believing that Luna was being sincere. The response had been dull, with hardly any enthusiasm at all. Perhaps the cat was tired and just wanted Serena to dress quickly, but the princess _would _have liked a nicer, more honest response so that she could be sure that they were the right pearls to wear. After all, she had to look her best today and certainly didn't want to give the other princesses the impression that she had a bad taste in style.

Today was the day that she was to meet the new Sailor Scouts, her four guardians, her ladies-in-waiting, who would have the mission to protect her for the rest of her life. Actually, to be technical, she was only meeting _three _for the first time. The fourth, and the leader of the Scouts, was her eighteen-year-old cousin, Mina, whom she already knew.

Deciding that it would probably be for the best to ignore Luna's opinion, Serena held the pearls up to the mirror to see if they matched her dress. She wore a long white gown with a gold border that went from her chest to her back. There was a row of pearls underneath her bust and a white bow that went around to her backside.

_Yes, _she decided after a moment, _these will go well with the pearls on my dress. _She gently combed her long blonde hair to the floor and then proceeded to tie it into her mother's signature hairstyle of pigtails and buns. She had always liked her mother's hair and had taken to copying her looks.

She pinned the pearls to the top of her head as a finishing touch; and apparently, she had finished dressing right on time, for as soon as she had finished her hair, there came a soft knock on her door. Luna's head popped up from the pillow to see who had knocked.

Serena gracefully glided off her vanity and toward the door. As she opened the door, she noticed Bethany, a brown-haired maiden of twenty-four, curtseying before her.

"Good day, Bethany," the princess said with a polite smile.

"Good day, Princess," the young woman responded. "Your mother would like you to meet her in the throne room."

"Yes, ma'am," was Serena's response. Her mother always told her to address an older man or woman, whether a servant, a peasant, or a royal, by saying " yes, sir" or "yes, ma'am". It was not only polite and respectful, but also gave a sign of humility.

Luna, having heard the conversation, hopped down from the bed and to the door.

"I'll escort her," the cat said smoothly. Of course, for the past five years that Luna had been an advisor, she had been escorting the princess everywhere, except at times when the Queen had given important affairs to manages or when Serena's governess, Eileen, was present.

"Of course," Bethany smiled. "I must prepare the other bedrooms for the princesses before they arrive."

With a firm good-bye, Bethany walked down the hall and into the farthest room on the left, which was to be Sailor Mercury's room.

Luna walked by Serena's side as the two of them made their way to the elegant throne room, their feet clattering lightly as they made contact with the marble floor.

The throne room also served as the ballroom, and happened to be the largest room in the palace. The entire room was made of marble with white walls that shimmered as the sunlight from the large windows hit them. The large crystal chandelier on the ceiling was the most expensive in the Galaxy. It was also the oldest, thought to have been purchased by King Alexandre, the first King of the Moon, almost one thousand years before.

Queen Serenity was sitting in a large gold throne with a velvet crimson interior on the opposite side of the room. Her other cat advisor, Artemis, a white cat with a crescent moon on his forehead, was sitting in the identical throne beside her. The Queen never seemed to mind, as that throne was always vacant and had no one else to fill it, except Serena, who rarely ever took the time to sit anywhere unless she had to dress.

The Queen smiled warmly at the sight of her daughter marching quietly into the room.

"You wanted to see me, Mother?" Serena asked after she had made her way over to the other side of the room. She mentally scolded herself immediately after having asked the question. Of course, she knew that her mother had wanted to see her.

"Yes, darling," her mother smiled, putting a slight emphasizes on the word "yes", as though she were annoyed with her daughter asking questions to which she already knew the answer. In all seriousness, Serena didn't blame her. She always had a habit of asking questions she didn't need to. It was more out of impulsivity than anything else. "The Sailors and their families will be here any moment."

Serena nodded, not knowing what to say. Would "ok" have been something appropriate to respond with? She had picked up a lot of lingo from Eileen that she was not sure was exactly proper.

"Now, I would like you to sit," the Queen told her daughter gently and gesturing to the throne in which Artemis sat. He hopped off obediently to stand next to Luna.

Serena took the offered seat. It was very comfortable, much more so than the last time she remembered sitting in it. Then again, that had been ages ago, so her memory might have been a little bit out of touch.

Five minutes later, the doors opened again and in walked four guards with trumpets that were blown. In pursuit of the guards were the four royal families.

As the guards read their names allowed, Serena tried her hardest to memorize which name went with which face. The first royal couple was King Matthew and Queen Olivia of Mercury. Both were tall and lean. Matthew's hair was cropped and dark brown, while Olivia's was curly, shoulder length and blue. Behind them, came their sixteen-year-old son, Matthew, Jr., heir to the throne, a burly boy with his mother's blue hair and a soldier-like appearance. Behind him, came his seven-year-old sister, Eva. She was small with wavy brown hair tied in a white bow that matched her dress. Further back behind her, the elder sister, Amy, aged thirteen, was to be Sailor Mercury. She had short blue hair and eyes and dress to match, along with the blue Mercury symbol that gleamed on her forehead. A smile shown brightly on her face, giving Serena the impression that they were going to be good friends.

The second royal family was that of Jupiter. King Richard was large, but handsome, with sandy hair and dark eyes. He had a full beard that gave Serena the idea that he hadn't shaved in years. His wife, Queen Jacqueline, had long brown hair, green eyes and high cheekbones, much like those of the Mongoloids of Earth. Behind her came Lita, the new Sailor Jupiter. She was a seventeen-year-old girl with her mother's brown hair and green eyes. The symbol of Jupiter glowed green upon her forehead, illuminating her long green dress. Behind her, came her fourteen-year-old twin brothers, Mark and Thomas. They were identical in every way, shape, and form, even down to the green eyes and brown hair.

The third family made up of Serena's relatives, the Venusian family. Her uncle, King Joshua was tall and athletic long graying auburn hair and goatee, while her aunt, Queen Marianna had long blonde hair and blue eyes like Serena, but not a single strand of gray. Her eldest daughter, Mina had the same hair and eyes. The orange symbol of Venus shown brightly on her forehead. She wore an orange dress made of silk and lace. Behind her was her ten-year-old sister, Alysona, who was the spitting image of her cousin, sister and mother.

The fourth and final family was the Martian royals. King Theodore and Queen Eleanor were tall, lean, and raven-haired. The heir to the throne, twenty-two-year-old Brandon, was as tall as his father. He had raven hair like both his parents and finely chiseled features. His fifteen-year-old sister, Raye, was to be Sailor Mars. She looked remarkably like her brother, as though they could have been fraternal twins. The only difference, apart from her long hair and his short, was his smile and her snooty sneer. Serena was not very impressed with her. Friends, they would not be.

"New Sailors align," one of the guards, a short burly one with a moustache, ordered. All four princesses stepped out from the line in which they had been in and came forward to stand in front of the thrones. "Each of you will come forward one at a time to be given your Sailor Pen by Queen Serenity."

Serena watched as her mother stepped off her thrown gracefully to stand in front of the girls. The guard cleared his throat and said, "Princess Mina Dianna Catherine Louisa."

Mina stepped forward and bowed in front of the Moon Queen. It was then that Serena noticed that her mother held in her hand a shiny sword with a golden hand, encrusted with what looked like rubies and sapphires.

"Mina Dianna Catherine Louisa, Princess of Venus," the Queen began, "do you vow to protect my daughter, Serenity Julia Margaret Anna, Princess of the Moon Kingdom, as long as she lives or as long as you live?"

Serena pursed her lips to keep from giggling. What her mother was saying sounded much like a marriage vow.

"Yes, I do," Mina responded, still in a bowing position.

With her answer, Queen Serenity touched each of Mina's shoulders with the sword.

"You may rise, Princess Venus."

As Mina rose, Serenity gave her a small gold pen with the Venus symbol on top of it.

"You are now Sailor Venus until you are no longer to fulfill your duties or until they are no longer needed."

With that, Mina was now given the authority to be the Leader of the Sailor Scouts.

One by one, each of the princesses was given her pen and pronounced a Sailor. Now, Serena had to try and make friends with all of them, and that, it seemed, would not be so easy.

**End Note: **Hi guys. I'm sorry this chapter was so short, but I wanted to get it posted before school tomorrow. I hope you liked it. PLEASE GIVE ME SOME REVIEWS!!! I only have one so far. Please give me more!!

Merci,

Amélie


	4. The Tour

Star-Crossed Lovers: Chapter Four

Amy walked with her mouth open in awe at the extraordinary Moon Palace. As Queen Serenity had given her daughter the task of showing the Sailors around, Princess Serena wasted no time in doing so. She skipped lively in front of the four Sailors (and Princess Alysona, who had insisted she come along), opening every door and going on a long rampage about the history of every room.

"My aunt tells me that my great-great grandfather used this room as his library." The Moon Princess had just opened a large marble door that led into a room with red velvet carpet and large windows overlooking the giant fountains that were running at the front of the palace.

However, there were no books to be seen. Amy felt her stomach drop. Books were positively her favorite things ever invented. To have none would be like not living at all. How could there even have been a library with no books?

Amy felt quite stupid for pondering this last question after hearing what Serena had to say next.

"After he died, my great-great grandmother moved all the books out of here and put them in the bigger library across the hall."

Amy sighed in relief. She _would _get a chance to read after all.

"May we go there now?" The words issued from Amy's mouth without her thinking, which earned a scoff from the uptight Martian Princess, Raye.

"Don't be so selfish, Emily," the raven-haired girl said judgmentally, as though she weren't being selfish and rude herself. Amy had known her for less than thirty minutes, but was already beginning to dislike her. "Wait until we get there."

"It's 'Amy'," Princess Mina must have noticed some sort of unsettled expression on Amy's face because she was the one to reply.

"What?" Raye looked at Mina as though she had no idea what the Venusian Princess was talking about.

"You called her 'Emily'," Mina clarified. "Her name is 'Amy'."

_And I'm not being selfish, _Amy thought, feeling the heart of anger rise into her cheeks. _It was just a question. Serena can go wherever she wants to take us next._

Raye shrugged her shoulders in a "whatever" kind of manner and began looking around the old room with distaste written all over her face.

"I would love to go to the library, too," Lita chimed in, although Amy couldn't tell whether or not she actually meant it or was just saying it to make Amy feel better.

"And me," said Alysona.

That was something odd to hear from the younger Venusian girl, as she did not seem like the type of girl who read books. Then again, Matthew didn't _seem _like the kind of person either, what with his head being absorbed in everything military-related, but he was. In fact, believe it or not, he had read more books than Amy had.

"Of course," Serena responded to the implied request. She led the rest of the princesses in their flowing gowns out of the room and down the long corridor to a room with a pair of white French doors.

Inside was a magnificent room stacked and shelved from corner to corner with practically more books than Amy had ever seen. Blue velvet chairs and a cushioned sofa were on the left side of the room, and a large window flooded with sunlight and facing the south garden was positioned opposite the girls, looking as though it were greeting them as they walked inside. A grand piano sat in the center of the room, but it looked as though it had not been played in several years. Dust was evident on the keys, even from far away, yellowing them and making them look much more fake than real.

Amy thought this quite odd. Why, in a palace so beautiful and grand as this one was, would there be a dirty piano?

However, the thought was soon blown straight out of her mind when she remembered the books that were staring at her, calling her name, waiting to satisfy her never-ending hunger for knowledge. Running merrily over to the nearest shelf, she grabbed the first book that caught her eye.

Instantly, she knew that she would like it here.

+*+*+

"How do you like them?"

Serena's eyes jerked up from her knitting in response to her mother's question. The two of them were sitting quietly in the large parlor after dinner, as was their custom. Queen Serenity always thought it best to train Serena in the line of Queen as much as possible, including before and after meals.

"I beg your pardon, Mother?" Serena asked, totally confused.

"The Sailors," her mother smiled. "How do you like them? Do they treat you well?"

Serena felt her eyes slant at the second question. _All but one, _she thought. _But, _she _doesn't treat anybody well._

"Yes, my Lady. They're all very nice," Serena lied, feeling guilty immediately after doing so. Not to lie, after all, was the Ninth Commandment and was definitely something the Queen frowned upon. But, how could Serena tell her mother that Raye was stuck up and rude? She was the only Martian Princess, so if Queen Serenity were to fire her, the chances were that another girl, even more stuck up and rude, would take her place. Besides, people changed. Maybe after a few days, Raye would become nicer.

"I'm glad you like them." Serenity got up from her position on the sofa across from Serena and sat down next to her daughter. "Do you think they would be good dancers?"

Serena had no way to know the expression that must have been on her face. "What?" She asked, not aware of the tone of her voice. "Good dancers?"

Of course, she had only known them for a day, and they had not discussed dancing. How was she to know if they were good dancers or not?

"I don't know," Serena replied, wondering why her mother would want to know. "We never discussed it. Why?"

Queen Serenity let out a laugh. "Because there is going to be a ball next week."

"A ball?" Serena echoed her mother, excited. Balls had to be her favorite part of being royalty. She loved meeting new faces and greeting old ones, but the best part had to be dancing with the young boys that were there, most of whom were sons of the noble people around in the village. Serena had never actually met a real Prince, besides the four to whom she had been introduced earlier that day.

Maybe this would be her chance to finally meet the man of her dreams.

**End Note: **Hi guys. I hope you liked this chapter. It's kind of short, but I wanted to get it posted quickly so that you guys knew that I wasn't abandoning you. Plus, it was mainly a filler chapter. The next one will introduce Darien and the Terran Royal family. Please stay tuned and don't forget to leave a review.

Amélie


	5. Michael

Star-Crossed Lovers-Chapter Five

The hallway was bare all except for its long windows and the beams of light that shined through them. The atmosphere was peaceful to Michael, as he enjoyed long walks in solitude.

Actually, doing an_ything _in solitude was what Michael liked best. It was so much better than constantly being bombarded by the many ambassadors from the Moon and the other eight planets in the Solar System. Of course, Michael was not the one being bombarded. His father, King Robert, and his mother, Queen Bianca, were the ones being bombarded, along, occasionally, with his elder brother, Endymion.

Endymion's full name was Endymion Darien Gerhard Roberto. However, for as long as Michael could remember, his parents had called him by his first middle name, Darien, but for what purpose, Michael had no idea. Regardless of the reason, the entire kingdom of Earth, along with all of the kingdoms of the Solar System, called him Prince Darien. He was adored by everyone, especially the female population of the kingdom, and had already, at the mere age of seventeen, been courted by countless numbers of rich young women.

_That_ was definitely something that Michael hated. He could not understand how, in all of his selfishness and arrogance, Darien had so many women groveling at his feet.

_What a twisted world, _Michael thought, thinking it quite an understatement. He began kicking the concrete walkway with his already scuffed up shoes. The very thought of Darien getting attention over anything made Michael's fists clench.

Then, there was their younger sister, Bernice. She was the "Angel of Earth", as so many people called her. At just five years old, she could captivate the hearts of anyone who laid his or her eyes upon her. She was spoiled, constantly being showered with the most lavish of gifts, and never had to do anything but show off her dainty smile to receive those gifts.

Out of Earth's three royal children, Michael definitely considered himself the most deserving of any gift. He was a wonderful student, always receiving high marks from his governess, Mrs. Brenner, and always sharply honest. Upon seeing someone do a wrong deed or commit a crime, he was always the one to tell. Yet, he never received anything more than a pat on the back from his father or a kiss from his mother (which he did _not _take delight in getting).

The sunset distracted Michael from the thoughts of his siblings. It was beautiful and gave much life to the pure white walls of the palace. It was even casting a bright light across the lake east of the hallway and Michael's dark brown hair to shimmer slightly.

"Michael?"

A small, childish voice floated into Michael's ears from out of nowhere, as did the tiny body from which it was emitted. Bernice came running toward her brother, her pink shirt and shoulder-length black hair flying behind her. She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him in the opposite direction from where he was headed.

"Michael! Michael!" she kept saying, even after she had made full eye contact with him.

"What?" Michael snapped at her, now very annoyed. It was rude enough of her to interrupt him during his walk, but to continue to call his name even after getting his attention drove him to the edge.

"Mommy says you have to come to dinner now," the little girl replied, oblivious to her brother's rude greeting.

Michael rolled his eyes. The last place he wanted to be was in a room with Darien, hearing him gloat about his "accomplishments" for that day.

"I'm not hungry," he replied, knowing full well that that response would not mean a thing to Bernice, who had most likely been told by her parents not listen to him if he gave that answer.

As Michael had expected, Bernice gave him a Mommy-and-Daddy-said-you-had-to-come look and voiced the expression on her face word-for-word, except with a "but" at the beginning.

Michael sighed. "Fine."

Bernice dragged him from the windowed hallway all the way into the dining hall, skipping merrily and singing "la, la, la, la" as she did so.

The dining hall was almost as large as the ballroom and one of the longest tables in the palace, beaten only by the table in the Governor's Hall, where King Robert conducted meetings with ambassadors, kings, queens, generals, and other officials. The walls were a dark brown and were adorned with decorations and ornaments from places all around Earth, including a feathered headdress from the people of North America, who had given it to Robert as a sign of respect and honor. Out of all the decorations, it had to be Michael's favorite.

Robert was sitting, as always, at the very head of the table. He was a tall man with dark skin, a firm muscular build, thick black hair, and piercing blue eyes that were liable to make any untrustworthy man crack under pressure.

Bianca was seated to her husband's left. She was a classic Slavic beauty with her pale white skin, dark eyes, lean build, and long dark curly hair.

Both his parents greeted Michael with a smile as he took a seat two chairs down from Darien, who was seated at their father's right. Never in his life would he be caught sitting _next _to his pompous brother.

Michael returned his parents greeting with a monotone "hello" and a frozen expressionless glance.

Darien did not exchange any sort of greeting with his brother, except the same glance that Michael had upon his own face. Darien looked strikingly like his father with his tanned skin, black hair, and blue eyes. He wore a blue army uniform complete with silver epaulets. It annoyed Michael that his brother never bothered to change into anything more formal after his training. Michael knew that Darien constantly wore that attire to show off, even when no one of importance was around.

But, what annoyed Michael more than anything else was the golden sword pin that Darien had on the left side of his uniform. Whenever he did decide to change clothes, he would take the pin off his army attire and place it on whatever outfit he chose to wear next, even if it were nightclothes. The pin was the mark of a General, the highest rank in the army. But, Darien held no such position and yet had worn the pin for as long as Michael could remember, even back when they were small boys. It enraged Michael that someone would give Darien a trinket representing such high authority even before he knew what the army was. It was just one more thing for the crown prince to show off.

Bernice sat down beside her mother and hummed a small tune while waiting for the food to arrive.

As they started eating their meal, Robert cleared his throat in the manner that signaled to everyone that he was about to make an announcement. Darien straightened his shoulders in a way that made him look like a cadet required to give his attention to his commanding officer. Michael roughly stuffed a rather large piece of roast lamb into his mouth.

"I have an announcement to make," Robert said politely.

Michael turned away from his father so that he had the liberty of rolling his eyes. _Really? Why else would you clear your voice like that?_

"Queen Serenity, the Queen of the Moon, has invited us to a ball in honor of her daughter's upcoming birthday," he said.

Immediately, Bernice's little eyes lit up in excitement. "Yay! I want to go to a ball," she shouted, although Michael was quite certain that his sister had no idea what a ball really was, other than a round rubber instrument that rolled everywhere.

Bianca chuckled and stroked her daughter's hair. "You won't be going, darling. You're too small."

Bernice frowned and put on her pouty face, but did not respond. She was evidently used to being rejected from doing everything by now, but for whatever the reason, she continued to express her excitement about whatever her parents talked about.

Michael had the completely opposite feeling pulsing through his veins. He wanted to scream. He was positively sick of all the balls that he had to go to. Even though he had never met Queen Serenity or her daughter, he was certain that they would be just like the many other people who had hosted balls: boring and talking mindlessly nonstop. Ripping his hair out felt like a good idea at the moment.

Darien smiled. "I would love that, Father. It would be a wonderful opportunity to meet new women."

Michael's mood changed instantly from despair to absolute cheerfulness, his gut roaring with laughter. Of all the stupid, dramatic, and over rehearsed things Darien had said in his life, that had to be the stupidest, most dramatic, and most of all, _most over rehearsed_. He said the same thing before every ball, and every time, he always found a girl whom he thought he liked, but then, less than five minutes later, he would be pushing her out of his sight, never seeing her again.

All except for Beryl. Darien had met her at a ball somewhere in Germany. He had hated her perhaps more than any other girl combined, but she was the one girl who kept popping into his life as much as she could. Just three days before, she had climbed up onto Darien's balcony and into his room, begging him to "take her back", as she said. Michael wasn't quite sure if that were an appropriate phrase to use when considering that Darien had done nothing but dance with her for a mere twenty seconds. He couldn't wait to see what she would do next.

"What do you think about the ball, Michael?" Bianca asked her youngest son curiously, tilting her head to one side.

Michael put on the largest—and fakest—smile that he had ever given to his mother, and muttered the words, "I can't wait."

**End Note: **Hi guys. Did you like this chapter? I'm sorry it's short, but I'm trying to make the chapters longer. I think that the next one will be because it will be from the point of view of more than one person. Anyway, I was able to get some important info into this chapter. Please remember to leave a review and _comment on specific aspects of the story. _Do you like the characters? Do you like Michael? What do you think his role in the story will lead to? What would you like to see him do? What did you find important in this chapter? Please comment on stuff like that, don't just put "good chapter" and leave it at that, or add this story to your favorites or alerts and don't tell me why.

Thanks,

Amélie


	6. The Ball

Author's Note: Hey guys. Sorry it's been so long. I've been bogged down with school and my high school graduation and stuff. Here's chapter six!  
Star-Crossed Lovers: Chapter Six

Michael groaned as he heard his maidservant, Juanita, open the large oak doors of his room and then proceed to roll up the curtains of his windows, letting loose all the light that Michael was so blissfully grateful had been trapped outside for the past twelve hours.

"It's time to greet the morning, Master Michael." The Spanish woman always declared the same statement, in the same singsong voice, each and every day, which gave Michael a further reason as to not want to get out of bed.

The young prince pulled the blanket over his head and shut his eyes tightly. Of all the days to get out of bed, this one had to be the worst. Today was the day where his entire family (save Bernice, as she would not be cooperative at such an event) would be traveling to the Moon in honor of its princess.

Juanita pulled off the covers and smacked a pillow on top of the boy's head.

"Must I do this every day, Your Majesty?" she asked in a bored voice.

"_No_," Michael retorted, pulling the blanket over his head. "You can save yourself some time and _go away _instead."

"Michael," Darien's sassy, sarcastic drawl split the air like a knife through fog. He had obviously heard Michael's comment and had come in to "angelicize" (a term Michael had invented to uniquely describe Darien's acts) himself in front of Juanita. "Don't talk to Juanita in such a way. She is far too delicate to endure your insults."

Without waiting for either Michael or Juanita (who was probably rolling her eyes by now) to reply, Darien ripped the blanket off Michael's bed and smacked him upside the head with his fist.

That was it. Michael jumped off the bed and grabbed Darien around the neck. Although he knew that his older brother was much stronger than he himself was, he wanted to make a mark.

However, Darien made his mark first. He grabbed Michael around the waist and threw him over his shoulder and flat onto his face.

Michael was just about to get up and punch Darien squarely in the face when Bernice burst into the room and joined the fray, grabbing Darien around the knees and toppling him to the ground.

"I was just about to send for your parents," Juanita said in a mixture of disappointment at the two boys and shock at what Bernice had just done.

"I want to play!" the little princess shouted.

Michael rolled his eyes and spit the blanket that had flown into his mouth out.

+*+*+

Five hours later, the entire Terran family arrived on the Moon. The coachman opened the carriage door and helped each alight onto the flat surface. Darien breathed in the air with delight. The scent of fresh spring flowers filled the air. The sky was the brightest of blue. The crown prince had to believe that while Earth was much more appealing from any outsider's point of view, the Moon won the heart of any insider.

As he gazed around the vast luxurious satellite, he tried to recall anything he could remember about it from his past, having been there once before, at the age of three.

Michael, on the other hand, seemed to show absolutely no appreciation at all at the glorious bliss that was the Moon. The look on his face was beyond sour. In fact, if Darien hadn't known his brother better, he might have assumed that he was on the verge of killing someone.

"Why do we have to do this?" the younger prince complained, dragging his shiny black shoes on the ground. "Why do we have to meet Queen Serenity, anyway? She's probably just some frumpy old woman who bosses people around."

Darien was not at odds as to why neither his mother nor his father gave a response to their youngest son's ignorant outburst. Queen Serenity was in fact a woman possessing an exquisite beauty, unlike any other woman Darien had ever came in contact with. Then again, he _had _only seen the Queen once before and that had been years ago. So, there was a chance that she had not retained the beauty that he remembered.

Upon arriving inside the Palace ballroom, Darien's memory began flooding back to him. The large chandelier, the marble walls, the orchestra, the chattering, dancing people, everything was exactly the way he had remembered it being. Although, back then, everything seemed much larger than it was now.

Queen Serenity was exactly the beauty that Darien had expected her to be, and what he remembered her to be. Her hair was just as long and pulled into the same style of ponytails and buns. Neither a touch of gray had marred her lavender hair nor had one wrinkle damaged her smooth white face. A smile ran from ear to ear as she saw her Terran friends walking toward her.

However, there was one thing that bothered Darien. Not everything was the same as it had been years ago. Someone very important who had been present the last time Darien had been there was missing….

King Robert struck his son from his thoughts as he began to introduce him and Michael to the Moon Queen. Darien had not even noticed that they were already a foot in front of her.

"Nice to see you again, Prince Darien." Serenity held out her elegant hand to take Darien's, smiling sweetly, just as she had all those years ago. "You've grown much since last I saw you."

Darien was frozen for a moment and could not find the right words to respond. He had met enough royals in his life to know what say and exactly when to say, so why could he not do so now?

Luckily, something else happened that allowed the Moon Queen and Darien's parents to be distracted. A tall dark-haired girl with pale skin and clothed in a red dress walked slowly up to Michael and tapped him on the shoulder. Darien noticed instantly that she had the symbol of Mars in the middle of her forehead.

"Hello," she said in a long, drawn out voice. She seemed to be speaking only to Michael and did not even acknowledge that Queen Serenity was even there. The Queen didn't seem to mind, however. In fact, she even looked intrigued as to what the girl might say. "My name is Raye," the girl continued, smiling coquettishly at Michael. "I'm the princess of Mars."

She pronounced the last sentence clearly, as though she were trying to make a point that she was a princess and worthy of Michael's attention.

Unbeknownst to her, Michael was not won over easily, especially by a girl he had absolutely no interest in, and apparently, Princess Raye was that kind of girl.

"So?" He retorted rudely, looking at her dress in disgust.

Queen Bianca let out a gasp. "Michael!"

"What?" the Earth prince asked his mother as though he had no idea what she was talking about. "Look at the way she dresses! And her skin! She looks like she just walked out of a morgue! There is no way I would be interested in her!"

He turned back to Raye and looked her straight in the eye. "The answer is 'no'. I will _not _dance with you."

Darien felt embarrassed. Queen Serenity's eyes had just enlarged to the size of saucers. Both Bianca and Robert were staring at their youngest son with gaping mouths. But, Raye, predictably, showed the biggest reaction.

She jammed her ruby high heels right into the tip of his shoes. He gave the loudest scream Darien had ever heard and reached out to grab her, when she ran off as fast as a cheetah.

Michael, apparently unaware that he was making a scene for the whole ballroom to watch, fell to the ground and began wining as loud as a newborn baby.

"SHE BROKE MY FOOT!" He shouted, tears streaming down his face. Darien couldn't help but suppress a laugh. It was the stupidest thing he had ever seen Michael do.

"THAT STUPID WRETCH! SOMEONE ARREST HER!" Michael's face was now volcano-red.

Robert grabbed his son by the arm and ordered him to get up off the ground. By now, half the ballroom was hovering over the young Earth prince. Darien was just glad Bernice was not here to see it.

About ten minutes later, Michael had finally calmed down. Queen Serenity had had one of her servants bring him to an adjacent room to rest his foot, which, as Robert clarified much to Michael's dramatic protests, was not broken, just swollen slightly.

As it turned out, both Queen Serenity and Raye's parents suspended her from the ballroom and forced her to retire to her room early. Her father had given her a warning before escorting her out of the room.

It was right after this had happened that Darien's life changed forever.

A small girl with blonde hair and blue eyes walked over to where Darien, his parents, and Queen Serenity were all standing and watching Raye leave the room. She was surrounded by three other young girls, all dressed in colorful dresses.

"I'm sorry, Mother," the young girl linked her arm with Queen Serenity's as she spoke. It was then that Darien realized that she was the Queen's daughter…and that she was remarkably beautiful.

Apart from the color of her hair and eyes, she was almost an exact replica of her mother. She even wore the same hairstyle as the Queen.

"Raye was not being very cooperative with us," the Moon Princess explained, speaking first and foremost to Darien's parents. "We told her to leave that boy alone."

"She's positively crazy." A girl with short blue hair chimed in. She had the sign of Mercury glistening on her forehead.

She began to speak more, but Darien's eyes and ears were lost to the angel in front of him. His heart felt strangely warmed, a feeling that he had never before experienced around any girl.

_Could she be the one? _

And before he had the chance to consider what he was doing, Darien blurted out, "Would you care to dance with me, Your Highness?"

He got down on one knee, grabbed the Moon Princess's hand, and kissed it.

"What's with all the romantic impulses tonight?" Darien heard his mother inquire from behind him.

The Moon Princess stared, wide-eyed, at Darien, for at least a minute, before responding. She giggled slightly and said, "certainly."

She quickly glanced at her mother for permission. The beautiful queen just smiled in confirmation.

Darien, more excited than he had ever been about dancing with a girl, walked the beautiful princess out into the middle of the dance floor, which cleared immediately upon their entering.

It felt as though the world had disappeared and Darien and the princess were alone, together, never to be apart. Her eyes were sparkling, like blue crystals being kissed by rays of sunlight. He had soon lost all senses and had no idea where he was.

They must have been dancing for hours. It did not stop until Darien's father pulled him out of his reverie and told him that it was time to leave.

The two of them ceased dancing, leaving Darien's legs to feel as though they had been pulled out from under him.

"My name is Serena," the princess said with a smile.

It was then that Darien realized that he had not introduced himself. What an idiot she must have thought him to be!

"My-my—" Now that was _really _stupid of him! He was starting to sound as dumb as Michael. "My name is Darien."

He said it so fast that he was worried she might not have been able to understand him. His face was flushing more than ever and his palms were so sweaty that he did not dare grasp her hand again for fear that she would run off in disgust.

"Darien." She pronounced the name slowly and clearly, her voice sounding like music to his ears. "I shall remember that."

And _he_ would remember her name. From then on, he vowed to do whatever he could to have her as his own. He knew it. She was the one.

**End Note: **So how was it? I thought the part with Michael and Raye was pretty funny, and yes, there will be some more battles between them as the story goes along. Do you like the plot so far? Do you think you can see any foreshadowing? What do you think will happen next? Do you think the characters are rounded enough (most of them, anyway)? Can you give me an analysis? This is the kind of stuff I want to hear from you guys in your reviews, not just "good chapter" or "update soon" or "I really liked it".

Merci à tous,

Amélie


	7. The Earth and All the People in It

**Star-Crossed Lovers: ****Chapter Seven**

Darien returned to Earth feeling as if his heart had been rekindled like a fire having been put out by a storm. For at least five years now, he had been struggling to find a woman that he could potentially spend the rest if his life with. Well, in all technicalities, his _parents _had been making him struggle to find a woman. However, now their luck had paid off. He believed that he had finally found her.

He alighted out of the carriage with nothing but the Moon Princess on his mind. Her beautiful hair, her sparkling eyes and dazzling smile….

Unfortunately, his thoughts were rudely interrupted by the ever-insolent mouth of his younger brother. Michael was being supported, his injured foot off the ground, by both his parents, who were doing the best they could to move him around without causing him any more pain.

"I hope that girl gets sentenced to death!" The young prince shouted as his parents led him up the walkway to the castle. "She doesn't deserve life after what she did to me! The stupid, ugly wench!"

Now, Darien was neither a doctor nor a king (not yet, anyway), but he suspected that Michael was exaggerating just a bit. A princess hitting a prince in the foot with her shoe did not justify death, as far as he was concerned. His father seemed to agree.

"Well, I'm certain that her parents and Queen Serenity will deal with her enough," Robert assured his youngest son, making sure the boy's shoulder wasn't slipping from his grasp as he walked.

Quite predictably, the Earth King's explanation did not console his youngest son.

"I don't care!" Michael whined, reminding Darien much of a small child. "I'm a prince! I deserve to be treated better!"

"That you do, darling," Bianca agreed, but sounding to Darien as though she were quite annoyed with her son's constant protests and irritability. Darien certainly was.

Suddenly, before the four of them could reach the castle's entrance, one of the large doors flew open and out came Bernice clad in a little white dress and shoes, looking like the beautiful angel she was.

"Mommy! Daddy! Darien! Michael!" she shouted, running towards them with her little arms outstretched. She found her father first and made an attempted to jump into his arms.

Darien almost screamed in protest when he realized what Michael would do to her if she caused him to lose his balance.

But, before he could say anything, it had already happened. Bernice had caused Robert to stumble and drop his hold on Michael, who let loose a fusillade of curses and screams at his younger sister as his foot hit the ground.

"Now, Michael, quit it!" Bianca rebuked her son with a stern look while attempting to support him as her daughter began crying and cowering in fear. "She didn't mean it. She's just happy to see us."

"That doesn't give her the right to jump on me like some crazy dog, especially when I have a hurt foot," Michael shouted, his face red and pained.

"She had no idea you had an injury, Michael," Darien told his brother sternly, scooping his teary-eyed little sister up into his arms and kissing her. She buried her little face in his shoulder. He could feel her tears staining his suit. "You shouldn't yell at her like that."

"I don't care," Michael retorted, still gripping his mother. "She's a horrible little sister. She deserves it."

At that comment, Robert became more enraged than Darien had ever seen him. Then, Darien got a wickedly evil idea. Darien lunged forward and attempted to stomp on Michael's "injured" foot.

"Darien," Robert, realizing exactly what the Crown Prince was attempting to do, gave his eldest son a warning look and pulled him by the arm away from Michael with some amazing dexterity.

Darien scowled and noticed immediately the smirk on Michael's face. _He can't be injured that badly. At least not for this long. _

And that had to be the truth. The boisterous Martian princess had stomped on Michael's foot two days before, and the swelling had subsided completely. He was definitely capable of walking on that foot by now. As always, Darien had to assume, his younger brother was just craving attention in another bad manner.

"But, Daddy," Bernice protested at her father's warning, clinging to Darien's neck. "Michael's being mean. He needs his foot stomped."

"No, he doesn't," replied Robert. "What he needs is some time alone."

"Yes I do!" shouted Michael in agreement, although sounding more as though he were agreeing with his father as a way of slapping him in the face. "I don't need to be around any of you."

Again, Darien suspicions were correct. Michael was, figuratively speaking, smacking his father in the face.

Both Robert and Bianca let out simultaneous sighs. Neither of them seemed to want to put up with Michael anymore. And Darien, for obvious reasons, didn't blame them. Michael had to be the most disrespectful teenager he had ever known.

+*+*+

"I can't believe—I mean, there's no way…."

Ever since Raye had returned to the Moon the day before, all she could talk about was Michael and how insulting he was, and it drove Serena and the other Scouts crazy.

All five of them were in the library, Lita and Mina sewing, Amy reading, Serena sitting in her favorite spot by near the window, and Raye doing nothing complaining her head off.

"Honestly, Raye," said Lita, now very annoyed, "you should just be happy that it wasn't one of _my _brothers who insulted you." She pulled her legs onto the sofa and stretched them out. "They would have beaten your self-esteem to a pulp."

"Yes, Raye. It's not that big of a deal. There are plenty of other boys out there," Mina agreed, attempting to yank a stubborn thread out from the under side of her cross-stitch.

Raye let out a condescending gasp, her eyeliner running down her cheeks from all the crying she had been doing.

"But, no boy has ever acted like that," she sobbed brokenly, acting to the others like a baby.

"Well, maybe that's a wake up call for you," said Amy. Her tone would have sounded harsh to any other woman, but for Raye, it quite deserved. She did not turn her eyes from her book once as she spoke. "Not all men are going to be nice to you, a princess or not."

Raye responded with a loud _hmpf_, and buried her face in the cushion of her chair.

"Don't do that, Raye," Lita warned, "Queen Serenity won't be happy if you stain her furniture. She's already quite unhappy with you now."

Now, that was an understatement, and all of the girls, including Raye, knew it. The Moon Queen was absolutely furious with Raye for the scene that she had caused. Her parents had even threatened to take away Raye's right to be a Sailor Scout if she did not apologize and promise not to commit such acts in the future.

The conversation went on for another ten minutes, Raye doing nothing but gripe defensively and sob into her cushion. Serena could have cared less, however, about the conversation, or even her mother's furniture, for that matter. For although she heard what the other girls were talking about, she did not listen. Her mind was still wrapped, as it had been for the past two days, around Prince Darien, the young man she had met at the ball.

She stared out the window, directly at the beautiful Earth, Darien's home. _How marvelous would it be to live there with him, _she thought, as she noticed the ever-changing clouds, blue rivers, and green lands. If only she could see him again….

Then, she came upon an idea, which would have seemed like a simple one to anyone else, but to Serena, it was a marvel. She could write him a letter! Surely, he would respond and be willing to consent to meeting with her again, that was, being that he had mutual feelings for her as she had him. But, of course he did. She had seen it in his eyes that entire night.

But, then, a horrible thought came to mind. What if it _was _a tick? What if he were playing her for who knows what? Serena had heard of that happening to woman—and to men as well—who thought they had found true love. Her palms grew sweaty and her stomach turned.

_Maybe I shouldn't rush it, _she thought, trying to go with her gut instinct. Unfortunately, she had so many conflicting thoughts; she wasn't exactly sure what her instinct was.

What if he was no better than his brother? _He _had treated Raye like garbage, (which was a conflict for Serena on its own. He had said some rude remarks both to and about her, but somehow, Serena thought, Raye had deserved it.)

But, yet again, Darien already _was_ better than his brother. He had not treat Serena as though she were nothing more than a slug, but had been polite and gentle, and had danced with her with such generosity. And first impressions were always good, as Queen Serenity had told her daughter time and time again. Well, unless the said person who was doing the impressing was really trying to trick the one he or she was impressing.

But, still. Serena's brain was doing a tug-of-war and she hated it. It was pulling her back and forth with these two ideas. She had to make a decision. Really, she had no idea what Darien's intentions were, but the best way to figure them out, was to get to know him more….

Finally, after about what seemed to be twenty minutes, but was in reality only about thirty seconds, Serena had made up her mind. She would write to Darien, asking him to meet her again somewhere, but, wherever that meeting was, she would make sure the Scouts (even Raye, unless she refused, which, with the way things were at the moment, was possible) were near.

Politely, she hopped off from the window and bade the other girls excuse her, and left for her room.

Upon arriving, she closed the door and took out some parchment from her nightstand, dipped her quill in ink, and began to write.

+*+*+

The room was completely dark, despite it only being around four o'clock in the afternoon. But, that was due in large part to the fact that the curtains over the windows were drawn, exactly the way Michael liked them.

His foot still ached, despite it having been almost two days since that stupid Martian girl had shattered it. And she called herself a princess!

Then, bratty little Bernice had to go and knock him over, making his foot feel even worse. If she hadn't have done that, then it probably would have felt a lot better by now. Michael couldn't believe her stupidity! He had gone about his whole life wishing that she was not his biological sister, or better yet, that she had never been born. But, now, the feeling was more profound than it ever had been before.

He sighed in anger just as he heard a soft knock on the door to his room.

"What is it?" he shouted angry.

He heard the door open, and turned his head to see who the intruder was. With aid from the light coming in from the hallway, he could make out Juanita, clad in a red dress and her black hair in a bun, carrying a tray of food and water.

"I'm not hungry," he said gruffly, scowling. "Leave me alone."

"Yes, Your Highness." Juanita's voice was trembling slightly. "But, your mother requested that I stay with you in case you were of need."

"Really?" Michael asked incredulously, raising his eyebrows. Now, that was a first for his mother. He would never before have believed her capable of sending someone to look after him in his time of need when she had her two _angels _to take care of. Letting out a scoff, he thought, _she probably did it to look like she cares. She can't leave a hurt child with _nothing_, now, can she?_

"Yes, she did," Juanita responded, her voice gone quieter. She walked over to the nightstand and placed the tray gently over next to Michael's oil lamp. "But, if you're not hungry, sir, I'll just leave your food here."

"Whatever," said Michael, wanting nothing more than his maid to go away and leave him at peace and away from the rest of the world. "Just go away. I don't need your keeping. I'm fine."

Juanita hesitated a bit, but before Michael could get a word out, she walked to the door, bowed to the young prince, and closed the door behind her.

_Good riddance_, Michael thought as soon as she had gone. He let out another sigh and rolled over, ready for a long nap.

**End Note: **I really hope y'all liked this chapter. It took me forever to write, I've been so busy these past couple of weeks. Please review and provide me with some analysis. I do love analysis! Happy Fourth of July to all you Americans!

Beaucoup d'amour à tous,

Amélie


	8. A Day of Surprises

Star-Crossed Lovers-Chapter Eight

Darien walked down the long staircase to the dining room where his parents were, waiting for him to join them and Bernice (Michael had refused to be brought down). He was still dressed in his nightwear, a pair of blue cotton pants and a long gray shirt. It was just breakfast, after all. He could go upstairs afterward and change his clothes. He had, however, had the heart to splash water on his face and comb his hair, not to mention straighten the General's pin that he wore on all his clothes. It was probably the most precious item he owned, and he couldn't bear to part with it for one second, no matter how much it annoyed Michael that he wore it.

When he had finally reached the large dining room, the servants were already bringing out the meal. Bernice clapped her hands and smiled widely as soon as the sausage was placed on the table.

"Good morning, Darien," Bianca said as soon as she noticed her eldest entering the room. She was already dressed, wearing a dark red dress with sequins on the collar.

Robert, also dressed for the day in his usual dark blue attire, greeted his son in the same fashion.

Darien sat down at the table next to his young sister, who was trying to grab all the sausage off the platter before her mother had the chance to rebuke her.

They ate breakfast in silence for a while (starting after Bernice's scolding for trying to take all the sausage) until Robert addressed Darien with a rather abrupt and haphazard question.

"How do you feel about your guardians?"

Darien blinked and looked perplexed for a moment, but then his father's words registered. He had three guardian generals who acted as his bodyguards, much like Princess Serena had the Sailors as her guardians. Malachite was the oldest, tallest, and by far the strongest of the three, holding the most power. He was, in fact, the leader of the group. Nephlite was second. He also had great power, but was not as strong as Malachite. Darien also considered him to be the most arrogant of the three. Jadeite was the last, the least strong, and, as much as Darien hated to admit it, the least intelligent. However, regardless of their personal flaws, Darien considered them all to be sufficient bodyguards and great friends. In that sense, there was nothing wrong with them.

"What do you mean, father?" Darien asked, suddenly worried that his father might be thinking about getting rid of one of them. "I find nothing wrong with them."

"Of course not, dear," Bianca cut in, obviously having a part in this plan of her husband's and not wanting Darien to get the wrong impression. "They're very affective warriors. Your father and I were merely thinking of adding a guardian to protect you."

Darien gave his mother another blink. "Why?" he asked. Having grown up with his three guardians, Darien knew them well and considered them to be quite sufficient warriors. He saw no need to add a fourth. _It would ruin our circle, _he thought. They were a tight-knit group, after all. Adding another would mess everything up.

"We just think it would be fair," Robert tried to explain, taking a moment to scold Bernice for making a mess of her food. "Princess Serenity has four guardians, so we thought you could have one more."

"And extra protection never hurt anyone," Bianca said.

"But, I don't need extra protection!" Darien protested. "I'm a warrior myself. I know how to defend myself. They're enough. They really are."

Robert sighed, looking at Darien with an expression that told his oldest son that he wanted him to understand where he was going with this and begging him not to act as stubborn and rebellious as Michael.

Darien rolled his eyes, thinking it was the dumbest idea ever, but he wanted to make his father happy. "Fine," he said. "I'll get another guardian."

+*+*+

As Darien expected, his three guardians had mixed reactions to the news of there being a new addition to them.

"It's a wonderful idea." Malachite agreed with Robert whole-heartedly.

"Horrible," Nephlite shook his head in disagreement.

It took Jadeite a few moments to respond. "At least now we'll have an even number of generals."

The three of them (and Darien) were standing in the training room, a large chamber on the first floor of the palace. Rumor had it that it was the first room of the palace ever built, but it was just that: a rumor. There was nothing to prove or disprove it as far as Darien knew.

"The Prince could always use more protection." Malachite began to elaborate on his agreement. "A fourth guardian would be all the more safe."

"It would ruin our circle," Nephlite protested, angrily swishing his long brown hair off his shoulders. "I can't believe your father would let this happen after all these years. It's always been the four of us and nothing has ever gone wrong before. Why would he decide to do something now?"

Darien shook his and looked at his feet. "I don't know. Maybe he knows something about the state of the world that we don't."

"Or maybe, he just wants you to be in sinc with Serenity," suggested Nephlite, the angry look still plastered on his handsome face. "_She _has four guardians. He must want you to compete."

Malachite raised his lovely silver eyebrows at his fellow general. "Compete?" he echoed.

"Yes," Nephlite emphasized. "He's obviously concerned about competition between Serenity and Darien over who has more warriors."

Darien rolled his eyes at the stupidity of this statement. "Somehow, I doubt that."

And it was the truth. Robert would not be concerned about competition between royals. He never cared who had what as long as they were doing their jobs.

"Did he say who he was picking?" asked Jadeite, not looking at any as he spoke. It was a habit that drove Darien and the others crazy.

"No," Darien replied. "I just hope that whoever he picks is a good warrior."

+*+*+

Later that night while Darien was in his room contemplating both the good and bad effects of having a new guardian, a servant knocked on his door.

"You have a letter, sire," the tall dark-haired man said. He held out a small piece of parchment, expensive and delicate.

"Thank you," he responded. The man bowed and left the room.

At his desk, Darien opened the letter to find the most exquisite writing he had ever seen. His heart stopped as he began to read.

_Dearest Prince Darien,_

_I would like you to join me for dinner this Thursday night at eight o'clock at my home. My mother consented to letting you see me and believes it to be a wonderful idea that we get more acquainted. Please come. I cannot wait to see you again._

_Serena_

**Author's Note: **Hey guys. This was my first chapter written from my college dorm! I realize that it was a very short chapter, but it's really just a filler/transition for the next chapter, which I am planning to make much longer. It will feature Serena and Darien's "date", the Sailors, more of the ever perception-distorted Michael, and the new guardian. Of course, you know who it's going to be, but can you guess why it's such a big deal? I bet you can without any hints. Please review with lots of analysis!

Merci,

Amélie


	9. The General's Pin

Star-Crossed Lovers-Chapter Nine

By the time Michael awoke four days later, his foot was completely healed. There was no swelling, no redness, no pain. It looked the very same as it had before that stupid Martian princess had decided to stomp on it. At least, that was what Michael thought as he looked at it intently, making absolutely positive that it _was _back to normal.

Slowly, he put his foot on the floor, which was very cold at the moment despite the fact that it was now April and everything was getting warmer. Putting all his weight on his foot, he exclaimed excitedly under his breath. He could finally walk!

Now, if he could only get back at that stupid, self-centered Martian….

Suddenly, a blissful sound interrupted Michael from his plotting. He listened carefully, and soon realized that it was a woman singing somewhere outside the palace. His window was open, something that he had not immediately noticed, but would give reason as to why he could hear the woman's voice so clearly. Normally, Michael would have made a note to himself to scold Juanita for having not closed his window during the night. She knew how much he hated the sun shining through while he slept. However, at this moment in time, he could have cared less. His sole focus was on the singing woman.

Walking to the window, he saw her. She was tall and then, with long golden hair tied in a loose ponytail that was kept in place by a dark green bonnet, which was a complete contrast to the brown dress and petticoats she was wearing. It appeared that she was walking toward the palace gates, but for what purpose, Michael had no idea. From the way she was dressed, it was evident that she was not a noble, and Michael had never seen a peasant in the palace before, although his father was too kind-hearted to ever refuse to allow them entrance. If they had ever had a complaint, they were free to come in, something Michael thought was damaging to the class system.

Michael watched with interest as the woman made her way to the gates and showed a piece of parchment to the guards. They exchanged a few sentences, appearing to be at odds about something, until finally, the guard allowed the woman entrance. She obviously was not complaining about anything related to her social class, as there would be no supposed confrontation if that had been the case. Then, again, Michael had no idea if she and the guard had really been at odds about anything. It was just pure speculation.

"Michael? Michael?"

The young prince rolled his eyes at the sound of both his mother's voice and her loud knocking. It was quite out of character for her to wake Michael up herself, however. She normally had Juanita or one of the other servants do it, as she was always busy with her own affairs as Queen.

And that was something Michael hated about her.

"What, Mother?" Michael asked irritably as he answered the door.

"You can walk now!" she shouted happily, as though she had been expecting him to still be injured. She reached forward, presumably to either hug or kiss her son, but Michael put his arms up and stepped backward.

"Yes, obviously, mother," he responded, trying to get his mother's mind off of hugging him. He hated any type of physical affection. "I woke up this morning and it was back to normal."

"That's wonderful," she said smiling, a light in her eyes.

"I want to be alone," Michael said point-blank, grabbing the door and attempting to shut it.

Surprisingly, Bianca did not respond with protest, but hesitated a moment, then nodded understandingly. She appeared to have tears in her eyes, but Michael only took them as a sign of false hurtfulness and pity-seeking. His mother always seemed to be playing that card with everyone.

She smile slightly and silently left her son alone at his request.

+*+*+

To be perfectly honest with herself, Zoicite was quite nervous about becoming a general for the Prince of the Earth. Of course, she had ten years worth of experience in the military (as controversial as that was in all aspects of the word), but none for a Prince. She had no idea what the other warriors would say when they discovered that she was a woman.

The guard at the gates had believed she was lying when she showed him the letter that King Robert had sent her, asking her to be his son's fourth guardian. She had almost fainted upon reading the note. Why the King would choose her of all the other soldiers in the world, she had no idea, and thought it to be a joke herself at first.

But, now, sitting on the sofa in one of the rooms adjacent to the foyer, waiting for the Prince and his other generals to arrive, she had more confidence than ever. Surely, once the other generals saw what she could do, they would not judge her for being a woman. No one else in the military ever had, at least, not after she began her training. Upon joining the military, however, she had raised many eyebrows and sent many scoffs flying through the air. However, as there were no laws against a woman being a soldier, the leaders of the army could not argue with her decision to be one of them. It was simply always an assumption on Earth that women should not be a part of the military.

But, of course, there was nothing strange about it on every other planet. Zoicite had always envied the Sailor Scouts because they had had no problem at all becoming soldiers. Then, again, they weren't exactly the same type of soldiers as those on Earth were. They used magical powers instead of swords to fight, and they wore skirts instead of pant-suits.

Zoicite didn't mind wearing pants, of course. Although they made her look like a man, at least she didn't have to wear a stupid corset. Every second of the day that she wore one, she wanted to rip it off her body. Breathing was the toughest thing possible to do. She was surprised she hadn't died yet, as she had fainted enough times before. The one she was wearing now, underneath her brown dress, just happened to be the tightest one she owned. She could imagine how red her stomach would be once she took it off.

Trying to distract herself from the pain that the infernal piece of clothing was causing her, she took off her green bonnet and let loose her blonde hair out of her ponytail. As soon as she did so, the doors on the other side of the foyer opened and out walked the Prince and his generals.

Prince Darien was exactly like she thought he would look: black hair, blue eyes, a muscular build, but not her type of man. The look in his eyes upon seeing her was most certainly one of shock, and happened to be the same look that she had received from every other man in the military. However, it was not one of disgust, as was the look of one of the generals, one with long brown curls and green eyes. Another, a blond, the youngest-looking of the bunch, did not seem to have any expression on his face regarding Zoicite. Meanwhile, the oldest-looking, a tall, silver-haired man, was looking at her with mild interest.

"You're the new warrior?" the brunet asked incredulously before the Prince even had a chance to get the first word in.

"Excuse me?" the Prince retorted, flashing him the most evil look Zoicite had ever seen, appalled that the other man would ask such a thing. "Nephlite, a woman has every right to be a warrior as a man has. My father obviously sees something in her if he chose her."

"I agree," the silver-haired man commented, not taking his eyes off Zoicite. She felt her face warm and redden as he stared at her.

"She seems nice," the blond one said.

"What is your name?" The Prince said with a smile as he extended his hand.

Zoicite stood up hurriedly from the chair and bowed, having forgotten the respect she was supposed to show to royals.

"My name is Zoicite," she responded, stuttering a bit. The brunet warrior snickered.

"Nice to meet you, Zoicite. I'm Prince Darien," the Prince responded, kissing her hand lightly.

"My name is Malachite," the silver-haired man blurted out as soon as Zoicite had been kissed by the Prince. Something told her that he was not happy with it. He bowed and took her other hand in his, kissing it for at least ten seconds.

"Pleased to meet you all," she said, not sure of what else to say.

"She's not even wearing a uniform," the man named Nephlite pointed out unnecessarily. "You can't fight wars in petticoats and corsets."

Zoicite scowled at him. It had not been five minutes and she had already found someone whom she desperately hated.

Both Malachite and Prince Darien looked as though they were going to knock him to the ground.

"I'm Jadeite," the blond smiled politely, as though he had not heard a word of what anyone had said or sensed the tension in the room.

+*+*+

A few nights later, Darien stood in front of his mirror, scrutinizing every bit of his appearance, more so than he had ever done before. He had changed outfits at least four times by now, something that he rarely ever did. On a daily basis, he could care less about what he wore, but now, now was an important day. He had to make a good impression on the Moon Princess.

He adjusted his general pin and sighed. This would have to do. He finally chose to wear a blue shirt and pants, which, in all seriousness, was still not what he considered to be great for a date. But, he couldn't look too formal. It was not a ball or a meeting of ambassadors that he was going to, so he did not feel the need to wear a tuxedo. Plus, he hated wearing them anyway, so any excuse to avoid wearing them was a good one.

There was a rather loud knock on his door, which told Darien that whoever was behind the door could only be one person.

"Yes, Michael?" Darien answered the door with as much politeness he could muster, politeness that he knew his brother would not return.

"I need you to get me more acquainted with Zoicite," the younger Prince said bluntly.

Darien raised his eyebrow. For one thing, Zoicite was at least five years older than Michael was, and another (which happened to be something that Michael knew very well), guards were not allowed to be romantically involved with the royals whom they were guarding. Their relationships were to remain strictly platonic.

"You know I can't," Darien said, shaking his his head. "And even if I could, I _wouldn't_."

Darien knew right off the bat that his brother and Zoicite would not be compatible upon getting to know each other. It would definitely be a lost cause.

Michael's scowl made Darien feel quite uncomfortable, so he quickly excused himself and headed down the hallway. Besides, he didn't have time to deal with his brother's problems when he was already running behind for his date.

+*+*+

Upon his arrival to the Moon Palace, Darien spotted Princess Serena at her balcony, searching below for him. Her face split into a marvelous smile and she soon left the balcony and appeared at the gates of the palace.

"Prince Darien!" she shouted happily after running into his arms. Then, seeming as though she recognized that she had forgotten her formal manners, she quickly shrank back and curtsied for him.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Princess Serena." Darien bowed.

She took his hand and led him back into the palace, where the Queen was waiting for them. Serenity kissed Darien's cheek as soon as he walked into the palace.

"Prince Darien," she said sweetly, shaking his hand. "It is a pleasure to see you, and I hope you enjoy your time here."

"Thank you, My Lady." Darien bowed once again, trying to make himself seem more comfortable with the situation. As he had never actually dated a woman before, he was not sure how to make a good impression with Serena's mother.

As the three of them walked into the dining hall, Serena allowed Darien to take a seat first, as a gesture of politeness.

The meal itself was scrumptious: roasted ham, fish, apples, broccoli, squash, lobster, sugar snapped peas, carrots, tomatoes, yams, boiled potatoes, artichokes, turnips, zucchini, and garlic bread, one of the healthiest meals Darien had ever eaten. But, food was only partially on his mind that night, Serena being the number one focus. He began conversations with her about her life on the Moon and what she did and how she enjoyed having Sailors being around her, waiting on her hand and foot. He realized they were dumb questions, but the only ones he could think of to ask her, as his mind was too nervous to come up with anything worth asking.

After a while, Queen Serenity excused herself and let the two be alone, having taken the many annoyed glances that her daughter had given her during the meal.

"Would you care to go ice skating?" the Princess asked with a smile after the two had finished eating and Darien had ran out of questions about her life.

"Ice skating?" Darien asked, wondering where they would be able to do it. It was spring, after all, and all the lakes had long since unfrozen. He did quite enjoy the sport, though, especially when he had the privilege of watching Michael try to accomplish it and instead fall flat on his behind.

"We have a place down in the basement of the palace," Serena explained. "We keep it cold all year round so that we can skate. I enjoy doing it in the summer and spring when it's hot and I need to cool off."

"I would love to," Darien smiled, getting up out of his chair.

Kindly passing his plate to one of the maids, he followed Serena down the long staircase to the basement, where he felt a sudden chill slap him in the face.

"It does take a while to get used to the cold," Serena said, giggling at recognizing Darien's surprise, which he felt stupid for. Of course, it would be cold in an ice rink. There was no need for him to look surprised.

The real cause for surprise was the size of the rink itself. It had to be one of the largest Darien had ever seen, at least larger than any he had seen on Earth. It was so smooth it looked as though it were brand new.

"I'll go get the skates," Serena hurried off.

As she did so, Darien noticed that they were not the only two in the rink. The four Sailor Scouts were on the other side, about to ruin the smoothness of the ice. At least, that was what Darien expected to happen from the looks of Princess Raye. She was looking as clumsy as an ox about to break its leg.

"I don't understand how people can enjoy this stupid sport," she whined loudly, having great difficulty balancing on her skates. It was a pity how she hadn't even gotten on the ice yet, and she was already having problems.

"It's not stupid once you get the hang of it," Princess Lita, a renowned skater, countered. "You just have to practice."

"It looks like Raye's unhappy." Serena appeared behind Darien, carrying the skates. "She's just too stubborn. If she would learn to be nice and do things the way people told her, then she wouldn't have nearly as much trouble."

Once they had put on their skates, the two of them stepped out into the rink. Serena demonstrated some of her talent by spinning off the ice in ways Darien could never achieve. Raye was not happy with what she was seeing and kept shouting about how unfair it was for Serena to be more talented than she.

Serena simply ignored her, and soon found herself waltzing with Darien.

It was a much easier task than Darien had expected, as he had never skated in the arms of another person before. What was more, was that Serena was actually the one leading the dance, choosing which direction to spin and glide. It was amazing to Darien how she could do it while not even looking at the direction she was going.

"You're an excellent dancer," he remarked, meaning every word.

Serena blushed a bit, and Darien had the idea that it wasn't from the cold. "Thank you," she said modestly. "My mother started teaching me when I was three. I've loved it ever since. It's my favorite hobby."

Darien smiled and suddenly had the urge to kiss her, but held back the temptation. He knew it was not appropriate at the time. They had to know each other better. That was probably why his parents had always told him never to kiss on a first date.

Serena returned his smiled and continued speaking, bringing Darien back to reality. "That's a beautiful pin. Who gave it to you?"

Darien's stomach turned uncomfortably. He should have considered that she would ask this question some time.

"I was just wondering," she explained, noticing how uncomfortable he was. "I noticed it was a General's pin, and I didn't think you were one, so I asked. I'm sorry. You don't have to answer."

"No," Darien shook his head. "It's not a bad question. You should know." He paused a moment. "It was a gift…from your father, actually."

He waited for her to break down and cry, but instead, she smiled.

"My father?" she echoed in a way that told Darien she wanted to hear more of the story.

"Yes," he continued, not realizing the two of them had stopped skating and were now still. "It was my third birthday, and my parents had brought me to the Moon. It was before you were born, obviously. I don't think your mother was even pregnant yet. At least, if she was, she was in a very early stage. Anyway," he realized he was rambling off topic, but Serena listened intently and didn't seem to mind. "Your parents didn't have a gift for me, as my parents hadn't had the mindset to tell them it was my birthday before we came, so your father gave me his pin. My parents didn't like the idea, but…he noticed that I had an interest in it, which I did, mostly because it was small and shiny, so he gave it to me to keep and…I've worn it ever since. Anyway, it was one of my earliest memories, definitely the only one from that long ago that I can remember in detail."

And it was true. He could even remember the exact song the orchestra was playing in the background, along with his mother's perfume, and King Julius's crimson red outfit and blond hair and blue eyes, the same as his daughter's.

Serena nodded, still smiling, but now with tears in her eyes. It was the same reaction Queen Serenity had had a few weeks before at the ball when she had noticed that Darien had still kept the pin after all those years.

"I had a wonderful time," she said, trying to change the subject quickly before she got any more emotional. "It's getting late. You should probably go."

She quickly skated to the other side of the rink and walked out the opposite door. The Sailor Scouts, including Raye, who was now literally sitting on the ice, stared after her.

Darien only hoped he hadn't made a mistake.

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! How did you like this chapter? I thought it was pretty good, definitely one of my favorites. Now, you know the significance of the pin and why it's so important to Darien. And by the way, if you don't hate Michael by now, you need a serious psychiatric evaluation. Please review!

Merci,

Amélie


	10. Apologies and Rivalries

**Star-Crossed Lovers-Chapter Ten**

As soon as Serena had made it to her bedroom, she closed the door behind her. Tears began to overwhelm her as she slid against the wall. Of course, she should not have run out on Darien like that. He probably hated her and never wanted to speak with her again. She wouldn't have been surprised if he went back to Earth and told the whole planet what a rude princess the Moon had, and this just made the tears pour more.

But, she couldn't help it. She could not bear to let him see her cry. Not now. Now she had to be strong. The story he had told her was just so emotional that she could do nothing more than act hysterical. For almost her entire life, her father's existence had seemed to her as nothing more than a legend. Never having known him, his absence in her life used to be just that: an absence, as though he had never existed at all. Her mother had always been the ruler of the Moon, and everyone had praised her for her kindness and power. She had defeated every enemy that had knocked on her door, including the evil Queens Nehelenia and Kaguya, all in Serena's lifetime. The Moon Kingdom, as well as the Imperium Silver Crystal, had always been known as belonging to Queen Serenity. No one, apart from Serena's Aunt Marianna, Queen of Venus, had ever mentioned Queen Serenity's late husband, and even then, Marianna's talks were only of childhood memories, like playing hide-and-seek with her brother and their governess in the Moon Palace gardens. There had never been any mention of his regal power, and as such, Serena had never given too much thought about him.

In fact, it was only fairly recently that Serena had realized the effects of King Julius' absence and the toll it had taken on his loving wife.

Approximately a year before, sometime in early April, Serena had awoken one night to the sound of muffled crying. At first, she was perplexed as to who it could be, but soon realized that it was coming from her mother's bedroom. She had crept along the dark corridor with a lit candle in hand, scared that her mother might be hurt, and yet, no servants or guards were rushing to attend to her. Finally, upon reaching her mother's door, she found that it was shut, but unlocked. She opened it on her own accord and noticed Queen Serenity lying across her bed, weeping, her hair undone and falling over the bed like waterfall.

"Mother?" Serena had questioned, concerned.

The Moon Queen looked up with a tear-streaked face and gestured for her daughter to come forward and sit down with her. It was then that she explained that this day was her fourteenth wedding anniversary. She talked of everything, from the day she had first met the future King of the Moon to the day he had proposed to his achievements to the horrible day when he had died.

"The day I told him I was pregnant was the happiest of his life. He had always wanted to be a father and had waited years, and now, God had answered his prayers," she had said thoughtfully as she wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her close. "For the first three months, everything was well. We had started considering names and even outfits. It was still early, but we were so excited." She had smiled, and for a moment, the tears had ceased to flow, but almost as quickly as it had come, her happy demeanor had left and sank back into one of sadness. "Then, when winter came, everything changed. He became ill, and what began as a mild cough had escalated rapidly in a few days' time. He ran a strong fever and started vomiting and bleeding profusely. He even had a seizure once and lost the ability to walk…and all I could do was watch him suffer."

She had paused as her memories overwhelmed her and more tears began to flow. Serena could feel her own tears forming behind her eyes as she rested her head on her mother's shoulder.

As the Queen continued, Serena began to understand why her mother had refrained from mentioning her father all of these years. The sadness and longing in her voice explained it all. But now, Serena also felt a joy in knowing that her father had lived and breathed and walked the ground, and that he was, most importantly, a wonderful man and king.

Since that day, Serena had carried her father in her heart. She smiled as she thought about Darien's pin and her father's generosity. There was no reason for her to be hysterical over something as lovely as that, she thought, scowling and scolding herself for her actions toward the Earth Prince.

She took a deep breath and stood up. She had to go looking for him and apologize. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she opened the door and her eyes widened with whom she saw standing in the hallway.

"Darien!" she squealed, as the tall Prince chuckled. "I'm so sorry, Your Highness, I—" she stuttered out her apology rapidly as the young man stepped forward and took her hand.

"No need for an apology," he smiled, Julius' golden pin shimmering brightly on his shirt. "I'm the one who should be apologizing to _you_. I knew the story would upset you. It's my fault I even began it. Please forgive me."

"No, no," she insisted. "I needed to hear it, and I'm glad I did. I should have never walked out on you. I just didn't know how you would react to my crying."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Darien responded, pulling the Princess into a hug, which she gladly returned.

She was utterly glad that he did not see her as a horrible person, and she could see that he was telling the truth. The light in his blue eyes said it all.

"Well," he began, still wrapped in her embrace, "I think I had better get going before Michael kills my Generals."

Serena laughed, but for some reason, Darien's tone was serious. "I had a wonderful time," she said. "I would love to do it again."

"So would I." He bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek and then bowed. "Good night, Princess."

She watched as he turned and gracefully walked down hallway. Her heart was leaping as fast as a gazelle. Could he be the one she was to marry? She had to remind herself that it was too early to tell before she became too carried away.

But, apparently, she wasn't the only one who suspected it.

"Wedding bells!"

Serena jumped as she heard the sound of her cousin's voice come out of seemingly nowhere. Her four guardians were standing to the left of her door, dressed in their princess garbs.

"I hear wedding bells!" Mina repeated, wearing the widest smile Serena had ever seen on anyone's face. "I heard them as soon as he came over to ask where your room was so he could apologize."

"Oh, please." Raye rolled her eyes. She still looked sore from falling on the ice. "Those 'wedding bells' are all in your mind. They _could _have even been the echoing sound my buttocks made when hitting the ice for the millionth time."

Serena fought back the urge to laugh at this statement. Seeing Raye's attempt at ice-skating was quite entertainment.

"It is a rather impulsive conclusion," Amy said. "Let them get more acquainted."

Serena had to agree with Mercury's eldest princess. She was always the logical one and had a tendency to know what was best, but if Serena hadn't known better, she would have thought that all Amy said were quotes from books.

"I agree," Princess Lita chimed in, looking a bit red in the face from all the skating she had done in the past hour. "Let them get to know each other more, and then _they _can consider marriage."

"And you realize she put emphasis on the 'they'?" Raye asked Mina sternly. "As in _you _can't decide whether or not a marriage would work out for them."

Mina stared back at her fellow Sailor and Solar Princess with equal sternness. It seemed to Serena that she was beginning to dislike Raye more and more every day.

"I _am _from Venus, the planet of love!" she retorted.

"So?" Raye raised her eyebrows. "That doesn't mean a thing. All that says is that you have a huge ego when it comes to supposed match-making, not that it actually works."

+*+*+

If Michael had to spend another three hours with Bernice and the three most annoying men to ever walk the Earth he was most likely going to explode. As usual, King Robert and Queen Bianca had left for a meeting with some ambassador of no particular importance (at least in Michael's mind), and they had left their two youngest children with Darien's generals and a handful of crazy servants who did nothing but screw Michael's life up.

The only positive part of the day was getting to see Zoicite. Unfortunately, she was spending more time with Michael's brat of a sister and hardly seemed to notice him. That didn't stopped him from being attracted to her alluring voice as she sang to Bernice and swung her around happily in the middle of the foyer. She was even wearing new General uniform, one complete with high black boots and white gloves, which hid the daintiness of her fingers. Surprisingly, Michael didn't find her wearing it to be a displeasure. Her feminine features were still prominent and the suit fit her frame quite well.

Yet, Nephlite, the most arrogant of the generals, happened to be ruining Michael's moment even more what with his snide, chauvinistic comments about the beautiful young woman behind her back.

"I can't believe the King would be so foolish as to accept a woman as a guardian!" the brunet remarked.

Michael had the sudden urge to punch the older man square in the face, which wouldn't have been hard to do, since he had already done it several years before.

"I think she's lovely," Malachite responded, attempting to sound rather nonchalant, but failing miserably.

Michael scowled, suddenly feeling even more hatred for the eldest man than he had Nephlite. He deserved a punch far more than the other did. In fact, Michael would probably have carried one out had the subject of the conversation, as well as the giggling Princess, hadn't come walking through the door.

"What is everyone up to?" Zoicite asked sweetly, her cheeks rosy, which somehow made her blonde hair shine even more.

"Nothing," both Michael and Malachite said at once, which caused Michael to give the other man a strong glare. Malachite was looking ahead, however, and did not appear to notice.

"We were simply discussing how Prince Darien's date must be going," Malachite said quickly, smiling broadly.

He began to get up from his armchair by the fire to approach the young woman, when Michael realized what he was doing and beat him to it.

"You must be tired from all that singing and playing," the Prince commented, puffing out his chest and looking deeply into the woman's eyes. "I would love to make you some hot tea."

"What?" Most ironically, it was Jadeite, perched on an overly cushioned sofa, who spoke up to that offer. "But you've never even been to the kitchen, Your Majesty. You always say it's a 'servant's' thing."

_What a great time for _him _to get smart, _Michael thought, annoyed. If the man said any more, he was liable to make Zoicite suspicious of the Prince's motives.

"How dare you question what I do, you imbecile?" Michael retorted, feeling as though Jadeite strongly deserved the comment, although, with his brain, probably wouldn't understand what an 'imbecile' even was.

"How about I be the gentleman and make the tea?" Malachite offered, obviously attempting to prevent any further arguments.

He generously hopped out of his chair and went around Zoicite (throwing her a sickeningly sweet look that made Michael's blood boil) to open the door to head for the kitchen, when there were already two people standing in the threshold.

"Good evening, Malachite," Darien said, smiling one of his usual overly broad smiles that told everyone to look at how polite he was being.

Michael felt as though he would vomit.

"Juanita was just going to bring everyone some tea," the Crown Prince continued.

Sure enough, the Spanish servant was standing next to him, carrying a large tray full of porcelain cups and a steaming teakettle, and not to mention, wearing the ugliest blue dress Michael had ever seen.

"Well, it looks like neither one of you has to make it," Jadeite commented, not seeing the disappointment in both Michael and Malachite's eyes. "Isn't that nice?"

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry it took so long for this chapter to be posted. I had a lot to do with school, but I just got home for Christmas a few days ago! Yay! Finally a break. I really hope you guys liked this chapter. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with it and thought it was pretty funny. So you can see the competition (at least in Michael's eyes) between him and Malachite, right? There is going to be much more of it in future chapters, as well as more interaction between Serena and Darien, and the appearance of another canon character. Any guesses who? Please leave a review with some good analysis! I only have fourteen so far and I'm dying for more! Please tell me what you liked about it.

Merci mille fois,

Amélie


	11. Lots of Laughter, Music, and Plots

Star-Crossed Lovers-Chapter Eleven

As the month went by, Serena and Darien continued to keep contact via letters when it was inconvenient for them to see one another. In these letters, not only did they express their thoughts and feelings regarding each other, but also thoughts regarding their own situations and pasts. Every emotion from love to anger was poured out.

How Mina knew this, however, was quite a shock, even for someone with as much of a gossiping, nosy personality as she had. Serena had asked her cousin to _read _each letter and approve them before their being sent. Most love-struck girls, as Mina knew, would never allow a friend to read a letter to the boy of their dreams. Not in a lifetime, but then again, Serena was not scared to show her true feelings to her friends and get them involved. It was as if she considered it a sin to leave them in the dark. She had even left Amy and Lita read them once or twice and asked for their opinions.

Raye's advice, of course, was out of the question for any of them. She was still noticeably angry and bitter after Prince Michael's intrepid comments and had gone so far as to threaten to stab him in the heel again (but with something far more sinister) if she ever saw him again.

_Well, at least it would only be in the heel, _Mina thought after having heard the comment. Hopefully, it wouldn't lead to any permanent damage. Then again, if Raye were really hoping to inflict any real damage, she could have waited a little until her Sailor powers were under control and singed him if she really wanted to do so; but of course, Mina would not suggest that to a girl as vengeful as Raye was. Plus, if Raye really were to go through with it, Queen Serenity would have had her sent home for sure.

"I wish she would get over herself and find a new hobby," Lita had remarked irritably one day as she, Mina, and Amy sat in the gardens under the warmth of the sun. Mina was particularly excited because the flowers had just begun to blossom a few weeks earlier and were still in their early stages, putting off the most wonderful smells.

"How could you call hating Michael a hobby?" Amy asked. As was her habit, she held a book from the Palace library in her hands and barely lifted her eyes from the pages as she spoke.

"Because," Lita said as she stretched her legs out on the stone bench that she was taking up all to herself, "that's all she ever does. Complain and say how much she hates him."

"Then, that would be called an obsession," said Amy, "not a hobby."

Lita rolled her eyes as Mina laughed openly. Amy could be hilarious without even knowing it, and that was the best part.

"What are you all laughing at?" Serena's curious voice floated toward them from the opposite direction where they were seated. She was beginning to sound—and act—more and more like her mother every day.

"Raye," Mina responded as her cousin sat down beside her on the bench. "Well, really Amy, but Raye was the ultimate cause of the laughter."

"Yes," Serena sighed, the sun making her golden hair shimmer, "Raye's situations can be something to laugh at."

"_Can_ be?" Lita echoed, now stretching her long arms out up toward the sky. She seemed to be getting tanner by the second. "They always are."

"So, when do you begin your Scout training?" Serena asked out of the blue, absentmindedly tapping her fingers on her long white gown.

"Not for a few more days," said Amy, finally lifting her eyes from her book for longer than a nanosecond. Mina assumed it was out of courtesy for the Moon Princess, although Serena constantly reminded her guardians specifically not to show her any royal treatment. She preferred for them to act as they would toward any normal person, nothing more.

"Do you think my mother would consent to my spending some time on Earth?" Serena asked suddenly, as though she had never even uttered the previous question.

Sometimes Serena's train of thought annoyed Mina to the fullest. That was one thing the Moon Queen and Princess did not have in common. Whereas Queen Serenity always had smooth transitions from one topic to another and would never start another conversation without clearly finishing the first, Serena had a habit of asking whatever was on her mind as soon as it entered her mind.

However, this time it was not Serena's randomness that caught Mina's attention. It was the question itself.

"You've never even been to Earth," Mina said, looking at her cousin with odd eyes. "What makes you think your mother would let you go alone?"

"I won't be alone," Serena answered, sounding a bit irritated, "Darien and his family will be there. They have a room for me and everything. Look."

She opened up her red satchel, a deep contrast to her dress, and pulled out yet another of Darien's letters. But, before Mina could take it, Lita sprang from her bench and grabbed it from the Moon Princess's hand.

"Excuse me, Serena," she said apologetically, "but I'm rather nosy."

She held the letter up to her face, above where the other girls could read it themselves. She skimmed through the entire letter before reading the part she was looking for aloud.

"'_My parents would love to get to know you,'_" she began, "'_so they insisted to invite you over to our home for a few days. A room will be prepared just for you. I hope your mother consents.' _That's rather nice."

Serena rolled her eyes. "Is that all you can say, Lita?"

Lita looked down quizzically at the Moon Princess with her deep green eyes. "What else would you want me to say? That's rather _horrible_? I think it's very sweet that his parents want to get to know you. That's always a good sign."

"How would you know?" asked Mina skeptically. "Have you ever dated anyone?"

"Yes," Lita responded promptly, handing the letter back to Serena and returning to sit on her bench. "I dated Amy's brother, Prince Matthew."

Amy snorted, her eyes again on her book, although, Mina noticed that they were not moving across the pages, as one's eyes normally did when one was reading. "Having a picnic lunch with someone one time is not dating. Dating means that you saw him more than once."

"So?" Lita rested her head back on the bench and closed her eyes. "Your parents certainly liked me."

"That doesn't mean a thing," Amy retorted. She had not turned the page once since the conversation had begun.

Rather than get involved in Amy and Lita's argument, however, Mina turned to advise her cousin. "If it's his parents' idea, then I would say yes. Just be sure to explain everything to your mother when you ask her."

"Alright." Serena gave her elder cousin a smile. "I'll try to go find her."

With that, Mina watched as her favorite uncle's daughter skipped back toward the Palace, hoping that all would turn out in her favor.

+*+*+

Despite having lived in the Moon Palace all her life, Serena still had a horrible time of finding where she was going. There were so many rooms and turns that it was easy for anyone, even the most experienced of people, to get lost. She wandered around until finally, about ten minutes into her search, when she found where her mother was.

Or, at least, where she was supposed to be. Knowing that her mother did not have any meetings planned for the day, Serena had known that she would be somewhere inside the Palace, but as to where, she had had to ask Barbara, one of her mother's handmaidens, who always knew everything. Hopefully, Barbara's knowledge was not mistaken and it would be easy for Serena to find her mother. But, unfortunately, even knowing where she was did not make finding her easy for Serena.

Knocking lightly on the large oak door, Serena heard her mother's soft voice respond.

"Enter," the Queen said.

Serena slowly opened the door to the library, where she found her mother sitting at the old piano, wiping it clean of the dust with a cotton cloth.

_It's about time, _Serena thought. _That piano has been dirty for years. _For at least as long as Serena could remember, that is.

"May I help you with something, darling?" Serenity inquired, now thumbing through some old sheets of music.

"Yes, Madam." Serena curtsied politely, still clutching Darien's letter in her hand and came forward.

Serenity put down the music and sat up straight to give her daughter her full attention.

"Prince Darien's parents offered me to come spend some time with the family on Earth," Serena began, holding out Darien's letter so that her mother could read it. "I'll be perfectly good, I promise you."

Serenity smiled as she read the letter. "I have no doubt that you would be, my dear. You have your father's righteousness."

Serena sat down on the black bench beside her mother. "May I go?"

"I don't see why not," the Queen responded, handing the letter back. "But, I'm having Luna go with you, if you don't mind."

Of course, Serena didn't mind, but even if she did, her mother would have made Luna go anyway. Even though she was a cat, Luna was Queen Serenity's most trusted advisor and as such, she gave her the duty of watching over Serena when necessary.

"I would love for her to come," Serena answered, giving her mother a smile.

"Then, I give you permission."

"Really? Oh, Mother! Thank you so much! " Serena's heart fluttered inside of her. She leaned over to give her mother a hug and kiss, accidently letting her elbow hit one of the piano keys.

"I didn't know you played the piano," the Princess commented, staring at the now shiny white keys. It was marvelous how much of a difference a little cleaning could do for an object so old and grand.

"I only play the basics," the Queen said modestly, staring down at the keys herself. "Your father began to teach me when we were first married, but I never got to be as advanced as he was. This is the first time I've even touched a piano since…." The Queen paused and began to look through the sheets of music once more.

That explained why no one had used the piano in years and why it had collected so much dust. Serena guessed that her mother viewed it almost like a sacred object that no one could touch now that her husband was dead, not even to clean it.

"I—I thought I would try and see if I still remembered how," the beautiful woman finished.

"I would love to hear you play," Serena said, putting her arms around her mother's waist. "I'm sure you're amazing."

Serenity chuckled. "Thank you, love." She gave her daughter a kiss on the top of her head. Finally, she found a piece she recognized and began to hit each key. Serena watched with awe as she did so. In her opinion, her mother was quite good for a beginner. She herself couldn't have done better.

When the music was finished, Serena clapped her hands in high praise for her mother's job. The Queen thanked her daughter, but Serena could tell that her mother was not too happy with her own accomplishment.

"I missed at least five notes along the way," she commented. "Julius would not have missed one had he been playing. If only you could have heard him, then you would know a real musician."

+*+*+

Instead of picking a fight with Malachite, Michael had spent the remainder of the month coming up with ways to get him away from Zoicite. For a while, the Prince had considered an arrest be a nice way to separate them. After all, being the Prince of Earth, whatever crime Michael accused anyone of committing was basically one set in stone. There would be no second-guessing the supposed criminal and jail time was certain. However, Michael soon disregarded the idea, thinking that he would never be able to come up with a crime scene, except perhaps stealing or smuggling. Then again, Darien would probably be able to see right through it, and he, obviously, had much more credibility than Michael could ever have.

Murdering the general was most definitely out of the question, as it was too risky and far too traceable. Michael certainly could not carry out anything so elaborate even with a hired henchman, and again, Darien would be able to see who did it. His brain was just too quick.

There was just no easy way to fix the problem. Michael sighed as he lay on his bed, attempting to rack his brain for anything else worthy of doing. Something that Darien would never be able to trace to him.

He sat up and looked at the darkness around his room. He could not sleep and needed some light. Reaching his nightstand, he pulled out a match from the drawer and lit a fresh candle. That was better. Now, he could think.

What was one thing that would keep Malachite away from Zoicite for good? It seemed like such a simple question at first, and to anyone else, it might very well have been, but to Michael, it was nothing but a biting flea.

He walked back to his bed again and placed his face in his hands. Staring at the wooden floor below him, he asked himself, _what would it take for me to get my mind off a woman? _Then, he realized, that he should have asked himself this question a long time ago. The answer most likely would have come much faster and he would not have had to think so hard for so long.

Then, like a bolt of lightning, the answer came: another woman. The thought was so simple that Michael almost jumped for joy, but stopped himself at the thought of one of the servants hearing him and rushing to see what was the matter. If only he could get Malachite to lay eyes on another woman, then Zoicite would be his. He didn't care if it was forbidden to get involved with a guardian. He was a prince, allowed to break the rules.

But, what woman could he possibly fall for? And more importantly, what woman would be so desperate as to potentially fall in love with him (apart from Zoicite, of course)? Michael knew no women, apart from those he had met at balls and parties. Where any of those women worthy? Michael tried desperately to remember any of them. After a while, none of them seemed to be good choices. Except….

One particular woman, he remembered, stood out from the others. She was confident, flirty, and exceedingly stubborn. She had been the one to try her hardest for Darien's affections, but he had turned her down (possibly with more assertiveness than he had the other women). Could she be the right match for Malachite? Then again, Michael could care less if she was or not. He just needed a woman to turn Malachite's attention from Zoicite.

Deciding that it could work, he walked over to his nightstand, pulled out a piece of parchment and quill and ink, and began his letter to the woman.

_Dear Princess Beryl,_

Author's Note: Hey guys! How was it? I think it went pretty well. As you can see, more tension and plot is building. I hope you review and stay tuned for the next chapter.

Merci mes amis,

Amélie


	12. An Intro to Chaos

Hey guys! I'm so so so so so sorry for not having updated in so long! I hope most of you are still with me!

Star-Crossed Lovers- Chapter Twelve: An Intro to Chaos

Serena's stomach turned excitedly as the carriage came to a stop. She couldn't believe that she was finally on Earth! Although she had dreamed about it for years, she never actually thought she would be able to walk on the enormous planet, at least not until she became Queen (which, admittedly, she hoped was not for quite a long time).

"We're here, Luna!" she exclaimed, almost squeakily, to the black cat perched next to her on the seat. "We're actually on Earth!"

Luna did not seem to be nearly as enthusiastic. "Don't get too overexcited, Princess. Your mother wants you to be extra careful, and that means don't just jump into everything."

Serena rolled her eyes. "I'm allowed to be happy, Luna. I've always wanted to go to Earth. Plus, I'm always careful; and it's not like I have a lot to worry about here, anyway. There are guards all over the place. It's not like anyone's going to kidnap me."

"You never know, Your Majesty," replied Luna darkly, before the coachman swung open the carriage door, revealing the overpowering sunlight. She squinted and placed her paws over her eyes.

"Welcome to Earth, Your Majesty." The squat man addressed the Moon Princess cheerfully and took her hand, helping her out of the threshold. "I hope you enjoy your stay on our beautiful planet."

Serena nodded and thanked him, quite sure that he was paid to say those lines and smile. _No coachman_ _is voluntarily that happy, _she thought. Luna jumped out of the coach without any assistance and stood next to her, her eyes still slightly closed.

"Isn't it lovely, Luna?" The sky was an enormous blue bowl with the sun shimmering happily down on the inhabitants of the planet.

"Yes, Princess," she concurred, although Serena noticed she had barely opened her eyes yet. The princess was about to tell her that the sun was not all that blinding when a woman in a purple suit and black boots ran up to them. At first, Serena could think of nothing more than the oddity of a woman wearing such a masculine outfit, as she had never seen a woman or girl wear pants before.

"Hello, Princess Serenity!" the tall blonde woman bowed quickly and continued speaking fast. "I'm Zoicite, Prince Darien's newest guardian, so if I mess up in any way, please forgive me. Anyway—" she cleared her throat as she sat down and began taking off her boots—"the Crown Prince thought it would be more appropriate for a woman to escort you, so he sent me." She took the padding out of her boots and put them back inside before putting her shoes back on again. "Sorry," she said, as she stood up. "I'm still getting used to these boots. They haven't quite conformed to my feet yet, so running and walking in them are still rather tough. I have to readjust them every now and then."

She smiled nervously. Clearly, this was her first time escorting anyone, at least on her own. But, Serena couldn't blame her. She would have been nervous, too. "Come this way. The Prince is out with his mother and should be back shortly." She ran behind Serena and grabbed her bags. "He apologizes for not being able to meet you himself," she said as she appeared in front of Serena again.

"You don't have to carry those," Serena said politely upon seeing her bags looking rather heavy in Zoicite's hands. "I can certainly manage."

"Oh no!" the older woman protested. "It's my job! The Prince instructed me. This way…" She walked a bit limply in her boots as she headed toward the palace doors.

Serena glanced down at Luna, who looked mightily afraid that Zoicite might fall flat on her face or break or ankle. Thankfully, the doors were close.

It had been nearly a week since Michael had sent his letter to Beryl asking if she could come to his parents' ball, and she had _still _sent no reply. Of course, Michael knew she was a lazy girl by nature (he could tell from the way she had acted around Darien, barely lifting a finger and doing absolutely nothing), but a reply like this was important; and there was not even a day left to reply, as the ball was scheduled to be that night, in honor of the Moon Princess' coming to Earth.

He yawned and stretched back in his chair. If she didn't respond, then he would be forced to find another way to pull Malachite away from Zoicite. The problem was: what?

Apparently, his pondering (or perhaps, lack thereof) had led him to sleep, because about thirty minutes later, he was jolted awake by loud knocking at his door. He wiped his eyes and groaned.

"What?" He shouted.

"Sir? You have a letter." Juanita's Spanish accent was filled with its usual uncertainty, but, as usual, Michael could care less.

He jumped out of his chair and flung the door open, snatching the letter from Juanita's hand. Beryl's signature was on the outside of the envelope. Michael batted Juanita out of the room and slammed the door before ripping open the letter.

_Dear Prince Michael_, it read, in what was possibly the messiest handwriting an educated girl could muster, _Of course I remember you! You were the only one nice enough to talk to me after Darien stomped on my heart. How wonderful it is to hear from you again! I would love to come to your ball. My guardians have consented, although I may only stay for a short while. _

A "short while" would have to be long enough. After all, Michael just wanted Malachite to notice Beryl. They didn't have to get to know each other all in one night. It would do. The hard part would be getting them together and keeping Beryl away from Darien. Hopefully, though, she had gotten over him.

_If not, I'll find a way to _make _her get over him, _Michael thought.

The abrupt chiming of a large clock in the parlor announced the beginning of the party. Everyone's feet tapped across the marble floors as each entered the ballroom for dancing, but Serena was just happy to be hanging on to Darien's arm. The Prince and Queen had arrived back much later than expected. They had been in Scotland on business for most of the day and had only been home for about an hour.

Darien had endlessly apologized, but Serena calmly waved it away. She and Zoicite had had fun getting to know each other, especially since doing so took Zoicite away from her soldier duties and gave her time to work on being a lady. Serena was actually very impressed with Zoicite's various abilities that she did not think a female soldier surrounded by so much masculinity could have. She crocheted an entire purse in the span of an hour, talked nonstop about the various men she ever dated, painted Serena's nails, and had even done her make up, something Serena rarely let others do for her.

Serena thought Zoicite's own make up and dress looked fabulous, which, beforehand, she would have considered to be a feat. But the older woman certainly knew when and how to look elegant. Her blonde hair was freshly washed and scented and held in a bun atop her head, and a she wore an emerald green dress that reached almost to the floor. Serena let her borrow some of her jewelry, including one of the golden bracelets her mother had given her for her last birthday. Unfortunately, being Darien's guardian, she had to carry some sort of weapon with her. Serena had suggested a sword, but Zoicite finally decided on a dagger that she could attach to her wrist. After covering it in green cloth, it looked a bit like a corsage to Serena.

Darien's other generals seemed to be doing similar things, attaching swords to their belts, but hiding them with gold to make them look more elegant, although only Malachite seemed to care about actually joining the party and dancing, while the others, Nephlite and Jadeite, just wanted to stand next to the wall. Malachite had even begun the ball by asking Zoicite to dance, which gave Serena the idea to take Darien out on the dance floor immediately after entering the room.

"We don't have to make scene every time we dance, you know," Darien said as they began waltzing.

"We're not making it a scene. _They _are," Serena replied, lightly gesturing to the others around them, who had stepped out of the royals' way to form a circle around them.

"Thanks for coming," Michael said absentmindedly, glancing around the ballroom for any sign of Malachite and Zoicite, who would no doubt be dancing together.

"Of course," Beryl responded, her long dark red hair shimmering like fire in the candlelight that was being emitted from behind her. But, she had a frown on her face. "But what did want me here for?" She giggled. "Were you looking for a date?"

"With you?" Michael almost spat the words out, but caught himself just in time. "No," he said coolly. "I wanted to introduce you to someone."

Beryl's dark eyes narrowed. "Introduce me? Do you mean Darien still hates me?"

_How brainless are you? Of course he still hates you! _Michael felt as though his head were about to explode. "Well, yes. He's kind of dating someone else right now."

"Really? Who? Where is he? Are they here? I want to see her?" Beryl was scanning the crowd frantically.

Michael sighed inwardly and grabbed Beryl's head, pointing it in the direction Darien was in, which, oddly enough, was right across from her. He and Princess Serenity had just finished their first dance and were now standing near the wall, talking to none other than Darien's three idiot guards and the object of Michael's destruction.

Beryl glared angrily and muttered something in German that Michael was not familiar with. Unfortunately, this wasn't turning out the way Michael had wanted it to.

He clenched his fists and glared deathly at his brother. _She's supposed to be over him and go after Malachite! Why does he always have to steal my spotlight? _

Serena was chatting away with Zoicite, asking about how she enjoyed her first dance, when she noticed Michael and a red-haired woman glaring at Darien, and felt a bit uncomfortable with it.

"What's wrong with them?" she asked looking at Darien, who had been talking with Nephlite.

"What? Who?" At first, he stared into the crowd, not noticing who Serena was referring to, until he caught sight of them, and Serena could tell it hit them like a bolt from Jupiter. His face went from uncertainty to a mixture of hatred and absolute annoyance in a nanosecond. "Beryl…" he growled. " I hate her."

"Who's Beryl?" asked Zoicite.

"Obviously, the woman Darien's glaring at and who's glaring at him," Jadeite said.

"My parents forced me to court her for a while," Darien explained, his face turning a bit red. "They—and she-thought we were a perfect match, or would be, at any rate. Obviously I turned her down."

"Rudely," Nephlite chimed in.

"Whatever," Darien rolled his eyes. "She deserved it. What a horrid girl she is."

"Where is she from?" Serena asked curiously. Darien looked at Nephlite, prompting him to explain.

"I have Nephlite do all the research on the women I'm forced to date, so he can tell you everything," Darien smiled. "And rather well, I might add. He can explain while I go tell her to leave." With a swish of his cape, the Crown Prince of Earth marched around a dancing couple, nearly knocking over another, as he made his way toward his brother and a woman he so desperately hated.

Nephlite cleared his throat. "Well, technically, she's from Germany, because she has been raised there for most of her life. But she was originally from the Moon. Her mother died shortly after she was born, of puerperal sepsis. Beryl was sent off to Earth to live with some relatives after her father got himself mixed up in some _unlawful _practices, to say the least, and was jailed for life."

"'Unlawful' practices'? Like what?" asked Serena, although she was not quite sure she wanted to hear now that she had asked.

"Go ahead," Malachite prompted his colleague. "They can take it."

"Trafficking women," Nephlite mumbled. Serena's eyes widened in shock and Zoicite gasped so hard that her earrings jingled. "Evidently," the brunet general continued, "being a microbiologist was not making him enough money so he decided to go into another 'business', if that's even what it should be called." He shook his head in disgust.

"Your mother must have been glad to throw him in prison," Zoicite commented to Serena seriously.

"Agreed," the Moon Princess responded, nodding. Queen Serenity was definitely not one to tolerate such horrible practices. She could see her mother slapping such a man in the face. In fact, Serena was quite sure that if the Moon Queen were ever to install a death penalty, offenders like him would be some of the first to die.

And hopefully, Beryl was nothing like her father and would not cause that much trouble.

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you thought! I really appreciate reviews! **

**Merci,**

**Amélie de Lorraine **


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